maya

maya — 名詞

1. in Hindu philosophy, the power that creates the everyday world of separate objec

1.名詞C1
釋義

摩耶；幻象

印度哲學中遮蔽終極真實的現象力量

in Hindu philosophy, the power that creates the everyday world of separate objects and people, hiding the single ultimate reality that lies beneath it all.

例句

Bilal spent the lecture trying to understand how maya conceals the unity of all existence.

Bilal 專心聽課，試圖理解摩耶如何掩蓋一切存在的統一性。

maya + conceals: philosophical collocation for sense 1

The teacher said maya is not empty illusion but a real force that shapes what we see.

老師說摩耶不是空洞的幻覺，而是一種塑造我們所見事物的真實力量。

同義詞
  • illusion

    common but imprecise translation of maya; illusion suggests something unreal, while maya is a creative power that appears real

  • apparition

    too narrow and ghostly; maya is a systematic world-appearance, not a fleeting vision

  • veil

    metaphorical term that captures the idea of concealment but lacks the creative aspect of maya

反義詞
  • brahman

    the ultimate reality that maya conceals; brahman is the single unchanging truth behind the manifold world

用法筆記

Often capitalised (Maya) in academic writing about Hindu philosophy. The term comes from Sanskrit and is most commonly used in discussions of Vedanta and Advaita traditions.

常見錯誤

❌Maya is a simple lie.
✅Maya is the cosmic force that creates the appearance of a separate world.
💡Maya is not just lying or falsehood; it is a philosophical concept about the nature of perceived reality.

2. someone who belongs to the Indigenous peoples from southeast Mexico through nort

2.名詞B1
釋義

馬雅人

猶加敦等地原住民族

someone who belongs to the Indigenous peoples from southeast Mexico through northern Belize into the Guatemalan lowlands, whose ancestors created a civilisation famous for its writing, mathematics, and stone pyramids.

例句

The Maya built impressive stone pyramids at Chichén Itzá that still draw visitors today.

馬雅人在奇琴伊察建造了至今仍吸引遊客的石造金字塔。

the Maya + built: subject-verb collocation for the civilisation

Ezra visited a Maya village in Guatemala where women weave traditional textiles on backstrap looms.

Ezra 造訪瓜地馬拉的一個馬雅村落，當地的婦女用背帶織機編織傳統布料。

同義詞
  • Mayan

    often used interchangeably but more correctly refers to the language family or as an adjective; 'Maya people' is preferred for the ethnic group

用法筆記

The plural form 'the Maya' (without -s) is standard when referring to the people as a group: 'the Maya built cities'. The singular 'a Maya' refers to one individual. 'Mayan' is used as an adjective (Mayan culture) or for the language family.

常見錯誤

❌The Mayans built the pyramids.
✅The Maya built the pyramids.
💡'Maya' is preferred over 'Mayans' when referring to the people; 'Mayan' is reserved for the language family.

3. the written language used by the ancient Maya civilisation, recorded in stone in

3.名詞B2
釋義

古馬雅語

古代馬雅人在碑文中所使用的書面語言

the written language used by the ancient Maya civilisation, recorded in stone inscriptions on monuments and in a few surviving books called codices.

例句

Kabir can read the ancient Maya script carved on the stone stelae at Copán.

Kabir 能夠解讀科潘遺址石柱上雕刻的古馬雅文字。

read the ancient Maya script: typical verb + object pattern

Only a few books written in the Maya language survived the Spanish conquest.

以馬雅語寫成的書籍在西班牙征服後僅存極少數。

同義詞
  • Classical Maya

    technical term for the written language of the Classic period (250–900 CE)

  • Epigraphic Maya

    term used by linguists for the language recorded in inscriptions

用法筆記

This sense refers to the single written language (Classical Maya or Epigraphic Maya) found in ancient inscriptions. It is distinct from the modern spoken languages of the Maya language family, such as Yucatec Maya (sense 4).

常見錯誤

❌I want to learn Maya so I can talk to people in Yucatán.
✅I want to learn Yucatec Maya so I can talk to people in Yucatán.
💡The ancient written language (sense 3) is not the same as the modern spoken language (sense 4).

4. a modern Mayan language spoken by about 800,000 people on the Yucatán Peninsula

4.名詞B2
釋義

猶加敦馬雅語

墨西哥猶加敦半島使用的現代馬雅語言

a modern Mayan language spoken by about 800,000 people on the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico and parts of Belize; also called Yucatec or Yucatec Maya.

例句

Adisa practises Yucatec Maya with his grandmother, who speaks it fluently at home.

Adisa 跟祖母練習猶加敦馬雅語，祖母在家裡說得一口流利。

speaks Yucatec Maya: typical verb + language collocation

Tamar studied Yucatec Maya for a year before travelling to the Yucatán to teach.

Tamar 學了一年猶加敦馬雅語，才出發到猶加敦半島教書。

同義詞
  • Yucatec

    short form, commonly used by linguists

  • Yucatec Maya

    full name that distinguishes it from other Mayan languages

用法筆記

Also called Yucatec Maya or simply Yucatec. This is one of about 30 Mayan languages still spoken today. Do not confuse with the ancient written language (sense 3); Yucatec Maya is a living, spoken language with its own modern dialects.

常見錯誤

❌Yucatec Maya is the same as the language on the stone carvings.
✅Yucatec Maya is a modern spoken language related to, but not identical with, the ancient written Maya.
💡Modern Yucatec Maya and the ancient script represent different historical stages.