heir
heir — 名詞
1. a person whom the law entitles to receive the money, property, or rank of someon
繼承人
依法獲得死者財產或頭銜的人
a person whom the law entitles to receive the money, property, or rank of someone who has died, typically a family member.
After her uncle's death, Diya discovered she was the sole heir to his entire estate.
Diya 在叔叔過世後發現，她是叔叔全部遺產的唯一繼承人。
sole heir — common legal collocation
The lawyer explained that only direct heirs could claim a share of the property.
律師解釋說，只有直系繼承人才能主張分得部分財產。
direct heir — family inheritance pattern
Reuben's grandfather left him the house, making him the legal heir to the family home.
Reuben 的祖父把房子留給他，使他成為這棟老家宅的法定繼承人。
As the only surviving child, Yael became the rightful heir to her mother's jewellery collection.
身為唯一在世的孩子，Yael 成了母親珠寶收藏的合法繼承人。
When the billionaire died without a will, the court spent months determining his true heir.
那位億萬富翁去世時沒有留下遺囑，法院花了好幾個月來確認他的真正繼承人。
- inheritor
less legal, more neutral; can refer to inheriting abstract things like traits
- beneficiary
receives something (not necessarily from a deceased person); broader scope, e.g. a charity can be a beneficiary
- legatee
specifically someone who receives property through a will; formal legal term
- disinherited person
someone who has been deliberately excluded from an inheritance
用法筆記
Frequently found in legal contexts with adjectives such as sole, direct, legal, or rightful. The object of inheritance is typically introduced by the preposition to — heir to an estate, heir to a fortune.
常見錯誤
2. a person who takes over the work, artistic style, or official position of someon
接班人
延續他人事業或傳統的人
a person who takes over the work, artistic style, or official position of someone significant after that person leaves or dies.
Prince Hiro is the eldest child and the heir to the throne.
Hiro 王子是長子，也是王位的接班人。
heir to the throne — fixed expression for royal succession
Many art critics see Élise as the true heir to her grandmother's painting tradition.
許多藝評家認為 Élise 是祖母繪畫傳統的真正接班人。
The young chef was hailed as the heir to a famous culinary dynasty.
這位年輕廚師被譽為著名料理世家的接班人。
As the heir to his father's business, Mauricio spent years learning each department.
身為父親事業的接班人，Mauricio 花了多年時間熟悉公司的每個環節。
After Professor Okonkwo retired, Nia became the natural heir to her genetics research project.
Professor Okonkwo 退休後，Nia 成了她遺傳學研究計畫的當然接班人。
- successor
emphasises the role or position rather than family ties; 'successor to the throne' (rival form)
- descendant
focuses on bloodline, not necessarily on continuing work or tradition
- inheritor
broader; can mean someone who takes over a style, tradition, or mission
- predecessor
the person who held the role or position before
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1: in sense 1 the person receives actual legal property; in this sense (sense 2) the person takes over a role, tradition, or creative legacy. This sense often uses adjectives like spiritual, natural, or true to indicate non-legal succession.
常見錯誤
3. a person who must deal with a difficult situation or unresolved problem left by
承受者
承接前人遺留問題的人
a person who must deal with a difficult situation or unresolved problem left by an earlier generation or previous office-holder.
The new president was the unwilling heir to a country deep in political chaos.
新任總統不情願地成了這個政治動盪國家的承接者。
heir to + abstract noun phrase — metaphorical use
Anong became the heir to a failing school system when she took the principal's job.
Anong 接任校長職務後，成了這個問題重重的教育體系的承接者。
Lukas took over the factory and became the heir to its poor management and broken machines.
Lukas 接管了那間工廠，成了其管理不善與機器損壞的承受者。
The new mayor became the heir to a budget crisis that had worsened for years.
這位新任市長接下了多年來日益惡化的預算危機。
用法筆記
Almost always followed by to + an abstract noun or noun phrase describing a difficulty (crisis, debt, mess, chaos, breakdown). The modifier unwilling is common because this sense often implies the responsibility was unwanted.
常見錯誤
heir — 動詞
1. to receive money, property, or a title by law after the previous owner dies — a
繼承
依法獲得財產或地位（古語用法）
to receive money, property, or a title by law after the previous owner dies — a less common alternative to the verb 'inherit', mostly found in legal documents and older texts.
Under the 18th-century law, the eldest son would heir the family farm and livestock.
根據18世紀的法律，長子會繼承家族的農場和牲畜。
rare verb; usually replaced by 'inherit'
The document stated that Christopher would heir the title upon his uncle's death.
文件指出，Christopher 將在其叔父去世後繼承爵位。
The old law declared the king's eldest son would heir the crown after the king died.
舊法規定，國王的長子可在國王駕崩後繼承王冠。
Under the terms of the will, the eldest daughter was to heir the family's antique collection.
根據遺囑條款，長女將繼承家族的古董收藏。
- inherit
the standard modern verb for receiving property after a death
文法句型
heir + noun phrase
用法筆記
This verb form is very rare in modern English. In everyday speech and writing, inherit is used instead. You may encounter to heir in older legal texts, wills, or historical fiction.