mating
mating — 動詞
1. when two animals come together to have sex so that the female can become pregnan
交配；配種
動物為繁殖而交合，或人為安排動物配種
when two animals come together to have sex so that the female can become pregnant and produce babies; when a person pairs animals so that this happens, such as on a farm or in a zoo.
The two pandas at Taipei Zoo began mating in early March.
臺北市立動物園的兩隻熊貓在三月初開始交配了。
intransitive: [animal]s mate
The farmer decided to mate his best sheep with a champion ram from a neighbouring farm.
農夫決定把他最好的母羊與鄰場的一隻冠軍公羊配種。
transitive: mate [animal] with [animal]
These seabirds return to the same cliff every spring to mate and raise their chicks.
這些海鳥每年春天都會回到同一片懸崖上交配並養育雛鳥。
Ritu watched the sea turtles mate at the conservation centre on the coast.
Ritu 在海邊的保育中心觀看了海龜交配。
The zoo's breeding programme lets the rarest eagles mate in a quiet, safe enclosure.
動物園的繁殖計畫讓最稀有的老鷹能夠在安靜且安全的圍欄內交配。
文法句型
mate (intransitive)
mate [animal] with [animal] (transitive)
用法筆記
Primarily used of animals and other non-human living things. Describing humans as 'mating' sounds clinical or deliberately dehumanising; for people, use 'have sex' or the more formal 'engage in sexual intercourse'. In transitive use (when a person causes animals to reproduce), the object is always an animal species.
常見錯誤
mating — 名詞
1. the act or process of a male and a female animal coming together to produce youn
交配
不可數名詞：動物交配行為與過程
the act or process of a male and a female animal coming together to produce young, including the special behaviours, sounds, or signals they show when ready to reproduce.
The mating of the zoo's two rare clouded leopards was captured on a night-vision camera.
動物園兩隻稀有雲豹的交配過程被夜視攝影機拍了下來。
the mating of [animal]s
Ritu observed the mating habits of the tree frogs near the pond all spring.
Ritu 觀察了池塘附近樹蛙整個春天的交配習性。
collocation: mating habits
Mating season for grey wolves in this region usually begins in late February.
這個地區灰狼的交配季節通常在二月下旬開始。
The male bird of paradise performs an elaborate dance as part of its mating ritual.
極樂鳥的雄鳥會表演一段精巧的舞蹈，作為其交配儀式的一部分。
Shanti heard the frogs' mating call coming from the pond behind her house.
Shanti 從屋後的池塘聽見了青蛙的交配叫聲。
- breeding
more general; can include raising young, not just the sex act
- copulation
strictly about the physical act; formal and technical
- reproduction
covers the whole process from mating to birth
文法句型
mating + [noun] — used as a modifier (mating season, mating call)
the mating of [animals]
用法筆記
Uncountable — do not say 'a mating' or 'mating s'. The word appears frequently as a modifier in compound nouns: mating season (the time of year when a species reproduces), mating call (a sound made to attract a partner), mating ritual (a set of behaviours before or during mating). Not used for human sexual activity — use 'sex' or 'intercourse' instead.