epidemic
epidemic — 名詞
1. a situation in which a contagious illness spreads rapidly across a community and
流行病；疫情
短時間內大規模擴散的疾病
a situation in which a contagious illness spreads rapidly across a community and infects many thousands of people in a short time
Hassan noticed a flu epidemic spreading through his school in Taipei.
Hassan 注意到流感疫情正在他臺北的學校裡蔓延。
collocation: flu epidemic / measles epidemic
The city declared an emergency after a cholera epidemic broke out in the market.
在霍亂疫情於市場爆發後，市政府宣布進入緊急狀態。
collocation: epidemic + break out
During the measles epidemic, hospitals ran out of beds within two weeks.
在麻疹流行期間，醫院在兩週內就用光了病床。
Officials urged people to wash their hands regularly to slow the epidemic.
官員呼籲民眾勤洗手，以減緩疫情擴散。
The government sent doctors and medicine to towns hit by the epidemic.
政府派遣醫生並運送藥品到受疫情影響的城鎮。
文法句型
epidemic + of + disease name
an/the epidemic + verb (breaks out, spreads, hits)
用法筆記
Frequently paired with a prepositional phrase beginning with 'of' that names the specific disease (e.g., an epidemic of cholera).
常見錯誤
2. a serious social problem or negative trend that spreads rapidly and affects a ve
氾濫；猖獗
社會中迅速蔓延的負面問題
a serious social problem or negative trend that spreads rapidly and affects a very large number of people in a society
The city is facing an epidemic of loneliness among elderly residents.
該市正面臨年長居民中孤獨感氾濫的問題。
collocation: an epidemic of [problem]
Trang's town has seen an epidemic of phone thefts on public buses.
Trang 居住的城鎮出現了公車上手機偷竊猖獗的現象。
Fake news on social media became an epidemic that made truth hard to find.
社群媒體上的假新聞氾濫成災，讓人難以分辨真假。
The country is struggling with an epidemic of drug abuse among young adults.
該國正努力對抗年輕人中藥物濫用猖獗的問題。
Jenna wrote a report about the epidemic of stress affecting office workers.
Jenna 撰寫了一份關於上班族壓力氾濫的報告。
文法句型
an epidemic of + (negative phenomenon)
epidemic + of + noun phrase
用法筆記
This sense extends the disease metaphor to social issues. The noun that follows 'epidemic of' must be negative or undesirable (crime, dishonesty, obesity, violence).
常見錯誤
epidemic — 形容詞
1. happening on a very large scale in a population so that it spreads fast and beco
肆虐的
在大量人群中廣泛發生的
happening on a very large scale in a population so that it spreads fast and becomes difficult to manage or stop
Violent crime has reached epidemic levels in parts of the capital.
暴力犯罪在首都部分地區已達到氾濫的程度。
collocation: epidemic levels / proportions
The mayor described the rate of school dropouts as epidemic in the rural areas.
市長形容偏鄉地區的輟學率已達到肆虐的地步。
predicative: [something] is epidemic
Élise's concern about rising housing costs was epidemic among her neighbours.
Élise 對房價上漲的擔憂在她的鄰居中十分普遍。
The report showed that smartphone addiction was becoming epidemic among teenagers.
報告指出，青少年中的手機成癮現象正迅速蔓延。
In some cities, homelessness has grown to epidemic proportions.
在某些城市，無家可歸問題已惡化到猖獗的程度。
- rampant
suggests something bad that is spreading unchecked, often with a moral judgement
- widespread
broader and more neutral; lacks the sense of rapid, dangerous spread
- prevalent
formal and neutral; describes what is common without the alarm tone of epidemic
文法句型
epidemic + noun (levels, proportions)
become / grow epidemic
用法筆記
Used both literally (disease-related) and metaphorically (social problems). The adjective form is most commonly found in the fixed phrases 'epidemic levels' and 'epidemic proportions'.