sun
sun — 名詞
1. the enormous, glowing ball of hot gas in space that our world and neighbouring p
太陽
地球圍繞的恆星，提供光和熱
the enormous, glowing ball of hot gas in space that our world and neighbouring planets circle, supplying heat and light to this planet every day.
The sun rises in the east every morning over the village.
太陽每天早上從村莊的東邊升起。
collocation: the sun rises / the sun sets
Without the sun, there would be no life on our planet.
如果沒有太陽，地球上就不會有生命。
modal + no life on our planet — cause/effect pattern
The sun is about 150 million kilometres away from Earth.
太陽距離地球約一億五千萬公里。
Indra watched the sun sink slowly behind the mountains.
Indra 看著太陽慢慢落到山後。
文法句型
the sun + verb
in the sun
用法筆記
In scientific writing this sense is usually capitalised (the Sun), while in everyday writing lowercase (the sun) is more common.
常見錯誤
2. the light and warmth that reach the Earth's surface from the star in the sky.
陽光
太陽發出的光和熱
the light and warmth that reach the Earth's surface from the star in the sky.
A grey cat slept in a patch of warm sun on the kitchen floor.
一隻灰色貓咪躺在廚房地板上一片溫暖的陽光裡。
collocation: a patch of sun
The kitchen gets the morning sun, so it stays bright and cosy.
廚房早上有陽光，所以又亮又舒適。
collocation: morning / afternoon / evening sun
After three days of rain, the sun finally broke through the clouds.
下了三天雨之後，陽光終於穿透雲層。
Noor sat reading on the balcony with the sun warm on her shoulders.
Noor 坐在陽台上看書，陽光暖暖地照在她的肩上。
文法句型
in the sun
the sun + verb of movement (come out, break through)
用法筆記
This sense is uncountable — never use a/an. It pairs naturally with verbs such as come out, break through, beat down, and pour in. Distinguish from sense 1: sense 2 refers to the light/warmth (what you feel), not the physical star (what you see in the sky).
常見錯誤
3. any star in the universe that has one or more planets moving around it, forming
恆星
有行星環繞的星體
any star in the universe that has one or more planets moving around it, forming a planetary system.
Astronomers have discovered a distant sun with three rocky planets.
天文學家發現了一顆遙遠的恆星，周圍有三顆岩石行星。
collocation: a distant sun
Every sun in the galaxy may have worlds orbiting it.
銀河系裡每一顆恆星可能都有行星繞著它運轉。
The telescope revealed a young sun surrounded by a thick ring of dust.
望遠鏡顯示出一顆年輕的恆星，四周環繞著厚厚的塵埃環。
The Trappist system has seven planets orbiting a single cool sun.
Trappist 星系有七顆行星繞著一顆低溫恆星運行。
- star
the everyday word — any luminous celestial body; 'sun' in this sense adds the idea of planets around it
- parent star
technical term used in exoplanet research
文法句型
a(n) + adjective + sun
sun + of + [constellation/region]
用法筆記
This sense is almost exclusively used in astronomy and science fiction. In everyday conversation, 'star' is preferred unless the speaker wants to emphasise the presence of orbiting planets.
4. a person who brings great warmth, happiness, or positive energy to those around
陽光般
如太陽般溫暖燦爛的人
a person who brings great warmth, happiness, or positive energy to those around them, in a way that reminds others of the sun's brightness.
Grandmother Hua was the sun of our family, always patient and full of laughter.
華奶奶是我們家的小太陽，總是那麼有耐心、笑聲不斷。
the sun of our [group] — metaphorical possessive pattern
In the classroom, little Mira is a real sun who cheers everyone up.
在教室裡，小 Mira 是個真正的陽光孩子，總能讓大家開心起來。
a real sun — intensifier pattern for metaphor
After years of sadness, Andrew became his sun again, bringing joy back into his life.
經過多年的傷痛之後，Andrew 再次成了他的陽光，為他的生活帶來了歡樂。
Sirin is the sun of her friend group, always organising surprises for others.
Sirin 是她朋友圈裡的小太陽，總是幫大家策劃驚喜。
- light of my life
a warmer, more intimate phrase — used for loved ones rather than admired people
- ray of sunshine
very common idiom for someone who makes others happy; slightly less intense than 'sun'
- grouch
informal — someone who is always unhappy or complaining
文法句型
the sun of + possessive noun
someone's sun
a little/true sun
用法筆記
Always used figuratively and complimentarily. Often appears with possessives (my sun, our sun, the sun of my life). This is a literary or affectionate usage — less common in casual conversation than other senses.
常見錯誤
sun — 動詞
1. to sit or lie in a sunny place so that your body receives sunlight, typically to
曬太陽
躺坐於陽光下使膚色變深
to sit or lie in a sunny place so that your body receives sunlight, typically to enjoy the warmth or to develop a suntan.
Theo spent the whole afternoon sunning himself by the hotel pool.
Theo 整個下午都在飯店泳池邊曬太陽。
sun + oneself — reflexive pronoun required
On the beach, Hiro was sunning his back on a blue towel.
在沙灘上，Hiro 正趴在藍色毛巾上曬背。
sun + body part — alternate reflexive pattern
In winter, Ziad likes to sun himself near the big living-room window.
冬天的時候，Ziad 喜歡在大客廳窗邊曬太陽。
The cats sunned themselves on the warm stones by the garden wall.
貓咪們在花園圍牆邊溫暖的石頭上曬太陽。
文法句型
sun + oneself/body part
be sunning + oneself
用法筆記
Almost always used reflexively — the object (oneself, himself, herself, themselves) cannot be dropped. You cannot say 'He sunned' without an object. The more common everyday synonym is 'sunbathe', which does not need an object.
常見錯誤
2. to put an object in sunlight so that it receives light, warmth, or dries out.
曝曬
將物品置於陽光下曬乾
to put an object in sunlight so that it receives light, warmth, or dries out.
After washing the woollen blankets, Imani sunned them on the line.
洗完羊毛毯之後，Imani 把它們晾在繩子上曬太陽。
sun + laundry item — typical object category
The gardener sunned the young seedlings before planting them out.
園丁把幼苗放在陽光下曬一陣子，然後才種到土裡。
sun + plants — another common object type
In the village, people sun rice on large mats to dry it.
在村子裡，人們把稻穀鋪在大蓆子上曬乾。
In summer, the farmer suns the chillies on the roof until they turn red.
夏天時，農夫把辣椒放在屋頂上曬到變紅。
- dry in the sun
more explicit; emphasises the drying result rather than the act of exposing
- air
does not necessarily involve sunlight — 'air the clothes' can mean letting them freshen in any breeze
- shade
to protect from direct sunlight
文法句型
sun + object (clothes, food, plants)
用法筆記
The object is always an inanimate item — typically laundry, crops, food, or household objects. This sense is less common in modern speech; people often say 'put something out in the sun' or 'dry something in the sun' instead.
sun — 縮寫
1. a written short form of Sunday, used in calendars, schedules, timetables, and in
週日
星期日的縮寫
a written short form of Sunday, used in calendars, schedules, timetables, and informal notes.
The community library is closed on Sun, so we went on Monday instead.
社區圖書館週日休息，所以我們改成週一去了。
closed on Sun — common schedule pattern
Please check the bus timetable for Sun, the fifteenth of May.
請查看公車時刻表，留意五月十五日週日的班次。
The timetable shows trains running every hour on Sun until midnight.
時刻表顯示週日每小時都有一班火車，開到午夜為止。
The café opens late on Sun, so brunch there starts at ten.
這家咖啡館週日營業時間較晚，早午餐十點才開始。
文法句型
Sun. + date
on Sun.
closed Sun.
用法筆記
This abbreviation appears only in writing — never in spoken English. It is typically followed by a day number or used in lists. A full stop (Sun.) is common in US English but optional in UK English.