dying
dying — 形容詞
1. describing a person whose body is shutting down and whose life is expected to en
垂死的；瀕死
生命即將結束的狀態
describing a person whose body is shutting down and whose life is expected to end soon, usually because of illness or old age.
The dying patient asked the night-shift nurse to call his daughter.
那位瀕死的病人請夜班護士打給他女兒。
dying + noun referring to a person
Aarav's dying grandmother held his hand and smiled for the last time.
Aarav 瀕死的祖母握著他的手，最後一次對他微笑。
possessive + dying + family noun
A special hospice unit in Taipei cares for dying children and their families.
台北一間專門的安寧病房照顧瀕死的兒童及其家人。
The camp doctor did everything she could to ease the pain of the dying soldiers.
軍營醫師盡其所能減輕垂死士兵的痛苦。
Kenji visited his dying uncle at the hospital every afternoon.
Kenji 每天下午都去醫院探望他垂死的叔叔。
- terminally ill
more medical and precise; suggests an incurable condition that will end in death
- at death's door
informal and dramatic; suggests being extremely close to death
- fading
gentler, often used of elderly people whose strength is slowly leaving them
- healthy
in good physical condition, not at risk of dying
- recovering
getting better after an illness rather than getting worse
文法句型
dying + noun
be dying
用法筆記
The fixed expression 'dying to do something' means wanting very badly to do it (e.g. 'Cole was dying to try the new roller coaster'). This is an informal use, not related to actual death.
常見錯誤
2. describing something such as a custom, skill, business, or language that is grad
沒落；衰落
逐漸消失或不再重要的
describing something such as a custom, skill, business, or language that is gradually disappearing because fewer people practise, use, or support it.
Hand-weaving is a dying craft that fewer young people learn each year.
手工編織是一項沒落的手藝，每年學這門技藝的年輕人越來越少。
dying + craft / tradition / art form
The once-busy fishing village has become a dying community as young adults leave for cities.
那個曾經繁忙的漁村已變成一個沒落的社區，年輕人都離開到城市去了。
Aylin's father runs a dying business — a small bookshop that cannot compete with online stores.
Aylin 的父親經營一家日漸沒落的書店，無法與網路商店競爭。
The dying tradition of storytelling around the fire has nearly disappeared from the village.
在爐火邊講故事的沒落傳統，在村裡幾乎已經消失了。
Coal mining is a dying industry in many parts of Europe.
煤礦業在歐洲許多地區是正在衰落的產業。
- vanishing
more visual; emphasises the complete disappearance
- declining
more neutral and statistical; focuses on the measurable reduction
- disappearing
more direct; may be used for both physical and abstract things
文法句型
dying + tradition/industry/craft/language
常見錯誤
3. happening at the exact time a person passes away, or directly connected to that
臨終的
發生在死亡時刻或與之相關的
happening at the exact time a person passes away, or directly connected to that final moment — such as a last request, final words, or the precise instant of death.
The dying wish of Eve's grandfather was for the whole family to stay together.
Eve 的祖父臨終遺願是全家團聚不分離。
dying wish — a last request before death
A priest arrived at the hospital to hear the dying man's final confession.
一位神父趕到醫院，聽取那位臨終男子做最後的告解。
Bilal recorded his mother's dying words so the family would never forget them.
Bilal 錄下母親的臨終遺言，讓家人永遠不會忘記。
The night-shift nurse held the dying woman's hand and promised to look after her cat.
夜班護士握著臨終女子的手，承諾會照顧她的貓。
文法句型
dying + wish/words/breath/moment
用法筆記
Common in set phrases: 'dying wish' (a final request), 'dying words' (last statements), 'dying breath' (the very last moment of life). These are often used in storytelling or historical accounts.
4. describing the final stretch of someone's existence; found almost exclusively in
有生之年
直到生命最後一刻
describing the final stretch of someone's existence; found almost exclusively in the set phrase 'to one's dying day', meaning for the remainder of that person's years until death.
Talia swore to her dying day that she saw a ghost in the old house.
Talia 直到臨終之日都發誓她在老房子裡看到過鬼。
to + possessive + dying day (fixed expression)
The old fisherman kept the photograph beside his bed to his dying day.
那位老漁夫直到臨終之日都把那張照片放在床頭。
Andrew's mother believed to her dying day that he would come back home.
Andrew 的母親直到臨終之日都相信他總有一天會回家。
Paloma never revealed the secret to her dying day, even to her closest friend.
Paloma 直到臨終之日都沒有洩露那個祕密，甚至對她最好的朋友也沒有說。
- to the end of one's life
more literal and less idiomatic; lacks the emotional weight of 'dying day'
- until one's last breath
more dramatic and literary
文法句型
to + possessive + dying day
用法筆記
This sense is almost entirely restricted to the phrase 'to one's dying day'. It emphasises that a person held a belief, feeling, or memory continuously until the moment of death. Distinguish from sense 3 (DEATHBED), which describes events at the deathbed itself rather than a lifelong duration.
5. occurring in the closing moments of a sports competition, formal meeting, or oth
終場；最後
比賽或活動即將結束的時刻
occurring in the closing moments of a sports competition, formal meeting, or other timed event, often while the result is not yet settled.
Ramón scored the winning goal in the dying minutes of the match.
Ramón 在比賽最後幾分鐘踢進了致勝的一球。
dying minutes of + event
The home team fought back in the dying seconds of the game.
地主隊在比賽最後幾秒鐘奮力反擊。
Adaeze's speech in the dying moments of the debate changed everyone's opinion.
Adaeze 在辯論最後時刻的發言改變了所有人的看法。
A surprise decision came in the dying hours of the parliament's last session.
一項意外的決定在國會最後一次會議的最後幾小時內出爐。
The star player injured his ankle in the dying minutes of the first half.
那位明星球員在上半場最後幾分鐘扭傷了腳踝。
- opening
at the start of an event, not the end
文法句型
dying + minutes/seconds/moments/hours + of + event
用法筆記
This sense is most common in British English sports commentary ('the dying minutes') and news reporting. It always modifies a time noun (minutes, seconds, moments, hours, days) followed by 'of' and the event name.
常見錯誤
dying — 名詞
1. people as a group who are in the final stage of a terminal illness and are expec
臨終者
即將離世的人們
people as a group who are in the final stage of a terminal illness and are expected to die soon, considered collectively as a social or medical category.
The hospital has a special ward for the dying and their families.
這家醫院設有專門的病房，照顧臨終者及其家屬。
the + dying (collective noun group)
A volunteer group in Kaohsiung offers companionship to the dying in their final weeks.
高雄的一個志工團體在臨終者最後幾週提供陪伴。
The chaplain spent most of his time comforting the dying in the cancer ward.
牧師大部分時間都在癌症病房安慰臨終者。
New hospice policies aim to improve the quality of life for the dying.
新的安寧政策旨在改善臨終者的生活品質。
The dying are often more concerned with peace than with pain relief.
臨終者往往更在意心靈的平靜，而不僅僅是減輕痛苦。
- the terminally ill
more clinical; specifically refers to those with incurable diseases
- the terminally ill patients
more specific; refers to patients in a medical setting
- the living
all people who are alive, in contrast to those close to death
文法句型
the dying + plural verb
用法筆記
Always used with 'the' as a collective noun, like 'the elderly' or 'the poor'. It treats dying people as a group and is found most often in medical, ethical, or social-care writing. For referring to one person, use 'a dying patient' (adjective sense 1) or 'a terminally ill person'.