represent
represent — 動詞
1. to speak or act on behalf of another person or a group in a formal or official s
代理
代替他人行事或發言
to speak or act on behalf of another person or a group in a formal or official setting, doing what they would do if they were there
The lawyer will represent Mrs. Chen in court next Tuesday morning.
律師將在下週二上午的法庭上代理陳太太。
represent [someone] in [setting]
Minh was chosen to represent the student council at the school board meeting.
Minh 獲選代表學生會出席校務會議。
represent [organization] at [event]
The union leader will represent the factory workers during the pay talks.
工會領袖將在薪資協商中代表工廠員工。
Darius asked a local agent to represent him at the property sale.
Darius 聘請了一位本地仲介代理他處理房產出售事宜。
Sade offered to represent her colleague at the meeting with management.
Sade 主動提議代表同事出席與管理層的會議。
- oppose
to act against someone's interests
文法句型
represent + noun phrase
represent + noun phrase + in/at + noun phrase
用法筆記
Subject can be a person (lawyer, agent, friend) or an organization (union, council). Frequently used in legal and business contexts.
常見錯誤
2. to serve as the elected official who speaks and votes for people from a particul
任議員
擔任某選區的民意代表
to serve as the elected official who speaks and votes for people from a particular area in a government or parliament
Senator Lakshmi represents the southern district in the state legislature.
參議員 Lakshmi 在州議會中代表南部選區。
represent [area] in [institution]
Christopher has represented this area in Congress for twelve years.
Christopher 在國會代表這個地區已經十二年了。
Each village sends one delegate to represent them at the county assembly.
每個村莊都派一人代表他們出席縣議會。
Iris hopes to represent her hometown in the national parliament one day.
Iris 希望有一天能代表她的家鄉進入國會。
文法句型
represent + area/constituency
represent + area + in + legislative body
用法筆記
Subject is always a person holding an elected position or a candidate. The object is a geographical or political area. Distinguish from sense 1: sense 2 is specifically about elected governance roles.
常見錯誤
3. to take part in a competition as the officially chosen member or team of a parti
出賽
代表團隊參加比賽
to take part in a competition as the officially chosen member or team of a particular country, school, or organisation
João will represent Brazil in the Olympic swimming competition next summer.
João 將在明年夏天的奧運游泳比賽中代表巴西出賽。
represent [country] in [event]
Haruto represented his school at the national science competition last month.
Haruto 上個月代表他的學校參加全國科學競賽。
Noa was chosen to represent the university at the international debate contest.
Noa 獲選代表大學參加國際辯論比賽。
The local football team will represent the city in the national championship.
本地足球隊將代表該市參加全國錦標賽。
- play for
informal, mainly sports
- compete for
emphasises the competitive aspect
文法句型
represent + country/institution + in + event
用法筆記
Subject is a person or team. Object is the country, school, club, or city. Used with sporting events, academic contests, and cultural competitions.
4. to formally express a concern, opinion, or complaint to someone in authority on
陳情
向當局正式陳情或抗議
to formally express a concern, opinion, or complaint to someone in authority on behalf of yourself or others
The residents represented their safety concerns to the town council members.
居民向鎮議會成員陳情，表達他們對安全的擔憂。
represent + concerns/complaints + to + authority
Élise represented her complaint about the noise to the building manager.
Élise 向大樓管理員陳情，投訴噪音問題。
The staff represented their demands for better pay to the company directors.
員工向公司董事陳情，要求提高薪資。
Lucía represented the neighbourhood's objections at the public planning hearing.
Lucía 在公聽會上代表鄰里的反對意見。
文法句型
represent + concerns/complaints/grievances + to + authority
用法筆記
This sense is formal and often used in written or official contexts. The object is typically an abstract noun phrase (concerns, complaints, grievances, demands, objections). The related noun phrase 'make representations' is a common alternative.
常見錯誤
5. to show, describe, or depict something or someone in a particular way, especiall
描繪
用圖像、文字或表演來呈現
to show, describe, or depict something or someone in a particular way, especially through art, writing, or performance
This old photograph represents three generations of the Chen family together.
這張老照片描繪了陳家的三代人團聚在一起。
represent [subject] in art/photography
In her novel, the author represents village life through small, vivid details.
在這本小說中，作者透過細膩的細節描繪鄉村生活。
The museum display represents how people cooked food two hundred years ago.
博物館的展覽描繪了兩百年前人們如何烹煮食物。
The diagram represents how blood flows through the chambers of the heart.
這張圖表描繪了血液在心臟各腔室中的流動方式。
In the play, the actor represents a young soldier returning home after the war.
在這齣戲中，演員代表一名戰後返家的年輕士兵。
文法句型
represent + noun phrase
represent + noun phrase + as + noun phrase/adjective
用法筆記
Subject can be a person (author, painter, actor) or a thing (photograph, diagram, film). Often used in discussions about art, literature, and media.
6. to work as a visible mark or picture that points to an idea, quality, or fact —
象徵
用具體事物表示抽象概念
to work as a visible mark or picture that points to an idea, quality, or fact — for example, a dove points to peace, or a colour on a map points to a particular kind of land
In many cultures, a white dove represents peace and hope.
在許多文化中，白鴿象徵和平與希望。
[symbol] represents [abstract concept]
The five Olympic rings represent the major regions of the world.
奧運五環象徵世界各大洲。
For Minh, the old wooden table represents happy memories of his grandmother.
對 Minh 來說，那張舊木桌象徵著他對祖母的美好回憶。
On this weather map, blue areas represent regions with heavy rainfall.
這張氣象圖上，藍色區域代表降雨量高的地區。
Each bar in the chart represents annual sales for one company branch.
圖表中的每個長條代表一家分公司當年的銷售額。
文法句型
[symbol/thing] + represent + [abstract concept]
用法筆記
Not used in progressive tenses (❌ 'is representing peace'). Subject is a concrete thing, object an abstract concept. Similar to 'symbolise' but covers a wider range of conventional signs and diagrams.
常見錯誤
7. to equal a particular amount, state, or outcome; to count as a specific thing in
意味著
等同或構成某種結果
to equal a particular amount, state, or outcome; to count as a specific thing in a given situation
The new factory represents an investment of over two million dollars.
這座新工廠意味著超過兩百萬美元的投資。
[subject] represents [result/achievement]
For the young couple, buying their first home represents financial independence.
對這對年輕夫妻來說，買下第一間房子意味著經濟獨立。
The peace agreement represents a major step toward ending the conflict.
這項和平協議意味著邁向終止衝突的一大步。
This research represents the most complete study of ocean pollution to date.
這項研究意味著迄今為止對海洋污染最完整的調查。
The increase in sales represents a growth of fifteen percent compared to last year.
銷售額的增長意味著與去年相比增加了百分之十五。
- constitute
more formal, common in legal and official writing
- amount to
emphasises the sum or total effect
- be
simpler, everyday word — interchangeable in most cases
文法句型
[subject] + represent + [result/state/noun phrase]
用法筆記
Not used in progressive tenses (❌ 'is representing a step forward'). Subject is typically an action, event, or situation. Object is a noun phrase that describes the significance or outcome. Distinguish from sense 6: sense 7 is about being an instance or result, not a symbol.