secular
secular — 形容詞
1. relating to activities, institutions, or ways of thinking that have no connectio
世俗的
與宗教無關的
relating to activities, institutions, or ways of thinking that have no connection with any church, faith, or spiritual belief system — for example, a school that does not teach religion or a government that does not follow religious rules.
Ritu's school is a secular institution that teaches science without any religious viewpoint.
Ritu 的學校是世俗機構，教授科學時不帶任何宗教觀點。
collocation: secular institution
The charity provides help to homeless people and keeps a strictly secular approach.
這家慈善機構為無家可歸者提供幫助，並保持嚴格的非宗教立場。
collocation: strictly secular
In a secular state, the government does not support any particular religion over others.
在世俗國家中，政府不會特別支持任何一種宗教。
Kwame enjoys listening to both religious songs and secular pop music.
Kwame 喜歡聽宗教歌曲，也喜歡聽世俗流行音樂。
The debate about whether art should be secular or spiritual has lasted for centuries.
藝術應該屬於世俗範疇還是宗教範疇，這個辯論已經持續了好幾個世紀。
- non-religious
more direct and informal; used for people or activities that simply lack religion
- worldly
suggests a focus on material life rather than spiritual matters; slightly negative tone in religious contexts
- temporal
refers to worldly time-bound matters as opposed to eternal spiritual ones; more formal and philosophical
文法句型
secular + noun
be + secular
用法筆記
Commonly appears before nouns describing institutions (schools, governments, charities) to indicate they operate without religious control. The opposite is 'religious' or 'sacred'.
常見錯誤
2. describing a Christian priest who serves a local church and lives in the general
在俗的
不居修院的教職人員
describing a Christian priest who serves a local church and lives in the general community, rather than belonging to a religious order that requires living inside a monastery.
Father Otis is a secular priest who lives in an apartment rather than a monastery.
Otis 神父是在俗神職人員，他住在公寓而不是修道院裡。
collocation: secular priest
The cathedral has both secular clergy and monks who work together in the community.
這座大教堂既有在俗神職人員，也有在社區一起服務的修道士。
collocation: secular clergy
Eitan, a secular priest serving a parish in São Paulo, married Clara last December at the cathedral.
在聖保羅某堂區服務的在俗神父 Eitan，去年十二月在大教堂與 Clara 結婚了。
The bishop appointed three new secular priests to serve parishes across the region.
主教任命了三位新的在俗神父，前往該地區的各個堂區服務。
文法句型
secular + noun (priest, clergy, etc.)
用法筆記
This sense applies only to Christian clergy. The opposite is 'regular' (meaning bound by monastic rules). Do not confuse with sense 1 — this is a specialized religious term, not about the absence of religion.
常見錯誤
secular — 名詞
1. a priest who serves a specific local church or diocese and lives among ordinary
在俗神職
服務社區而非居修院的神父
a priest who serves a specific local church or diocese and lives among ordinary people, as opposed to one who lives in a monastery under the strict rules of a religious order.
The bishop met with the seculars of the diocese to discuss local needs.
主教與教區的在俗神職人員會面，討論地方需求。
plural: the seculars
While a monk prays inside the monastery, a secular spends most of his time visiting the sick.
修道士在修道院內祈禱，而在俗神職人員則大部分時間都在探望病人。
contrast with monk
Many seculars in the Catholic Church run schools and help poor communities.
天主教會中許多在俗神職人員辦學校、幫助貧困社區。
After thirty years as a secular, Father Anthony retired from parish work.
擔任了三十年的在俗神職人員之後，Anthony 神父從堂區工作退休了。
- diocesan priest
more common modern term; emphasizes the connection to a geographical diocese rather than lifestyle
- parish priest
focuses on the role of running a local church
文法句型
a + secular
the + seculars (plural)
用法筆記
Used mainly in Catholic and Anglican contexts. The plural form 'seculars' refers collectively to secular clergy as a group. Compare with 'regular' (a monk living under a monastic rule).
2. a person regarded as being outside the clergy or outside a particular profession
平信徒
非神職人員
a person regarded as being outside the clergy or outside a particular profession — used especially in religious settings to distinguish non-ordained people from ordained leaders, or in workplace settings to separate non-experts from specialists.
The church council includes three clergy members and two seculars from the local community.
教會理事會包括三位神職人員和兩位來自社區的平信徒。
contrast: clergy and seculars
As a secular, Nadia had no formal training in theology, but she taught the class anyway.
身為一個平信徒，Nadia 沒有受過正式的神學訓練，但她還是教了這門課。
The hospital invited both medical experts and seculars to join the ethics committee.
醫院邀請了醫學專家和一般民眾一起加入倫理委員會。
When the church needed help managing the building budget, they turned to a secular with experience in finance.
教會需要有人幫忙管理建築預算時，他們找了一位有財務經驗的平信徒來處理。
- layperson
the standard modern term; used in both religious and general contexts
- layman
same as layperson but gender-specific; still common but becoming less frequent
- non-professional
broader term used outside religious contexts for someone without specialized training
- clergyman
an ordained religious leader
- professional
someone with specialized training in a field
文法句型
a + secular
clergy and seculars
用法筆記
In modern English, 'layperson' or 'layman' is far more common than 'secular' used as a noun in this sense. The noun 'secular' for 'layperson' appears mainly in historical or formal church documents.