sunset
sunset — 形容詞
1. describes a section inside a legal document that names a date or set of conditio
日落條款
法律或合約中設定終止條件的條文
describes a section inside a legal document that names a date or set of conditions triggering the end of its legal validity
The trade agreement included a sunset clause that required renegotiation every three years.
這項貿易協定包含一條日落條款，規定每三年必須重新協商。
collocation: sunset clause
Lawmakers added a sunset provision to the education law, requiring review after five years.
立法者在新的教育法中加入了日落條款，五年後將檢討是否延續。
collocation: sunset provision
Without the sunset clause, the emergency powers would have remained in place indefinitely.
如果沒有日落條款，緊急權力將會無限期地持續下去。
A zoning regulation with a sunset provision let the council review impact after three years.
這項土地使用分區法規設有日落條款，讓市議會在三年後檢討影響。
- expiry
more general; not limited to legal documents (e.g. expiry date on a passport)
- termination
focuses on the act of ending rather than the mechanism that causes it
- permanent
a permanent law has no built-in expiry date
用法筆記
Always used before a noun such as clause, provision, or rule. This sense belongs to formal legal language; in everyday conversation, sunset time refers to the natural event, not to legal expiry.
常見錯誤
2. describes a specific date on which something, especially a law or a formal agree
終止日期
法律或協議必須屆滿的日期
describes a specific date on which something, especially a law or a formal agreement, must stop being in effect
The government grant had a December 31 sunset date, after which no funds could be spent.
這筆政府補助款有終止日期，是12月31日，之後就不能再動用任何資金。
collocation: sunset date
Tamar's work permit had a sunset date, so she applied for renewal before it expired.
Tamar 的臨時工作許可證設有終止日期，所以她必須在到期前申請延長。
The committee set a sunset date for the regulations, giving businesses two years to adapt.
委員會為新法規設定了終止日期，讓企業有兩年的時間來適應。
Hyun's research grant had a sunset date, ending when the project year finished.
Hyun 的研究補助金設有終止日期，在計畫年度結束時停止撥付。
- expiration date
more common in everyday contexts; sunset date is specifically legal and formal
- open-ended
an open-ended agreement has no fixed termination date
用法筆記
Like the clause/provision sense above, this is always attributive (used before a noun, most commonly date). The thing that has a sunset date is typically a law, policy, permit, or funding programme.
常見錯誤
sunset — 名詞
1. the moment each day when the sun passes below the horizon and the sky gets dark
日落
太陽落下的時分
the moment each day when the sun passes below the horizon and the sky gets dark
Every evening, Mayumi and her grandfather watch the sunset from their front porch.
每天晚上，Mayumi 和她的祖父坐在前廊看日落。
watch the sunset
The national park closes at sunset, so hikers must return before it gets dark.
國家公園在日落時關閉，所以登山者必須在天黑前返回。
at sunset
By sunset, the rescue team had reached the stranded climbers and provided medical aid.
到日落時，救援隊已經抵達受困的登山者身邊並提供了醫療援助。
Sophia planned her picnic for sunset because she loved the colours in the sky.
Sophia 把野餐安排在日落時分，因為她喜歡天空的顏色。
- sunrise
the time in the morning when the sun appears above the horizon
用法筆記
Can be used as an uncountable noun (sunset happens at a particular time) or a countable noun (each evening has one sunset, and you can talk about different sunsets on different days). The opposite is sunrise.
常見錯誤
2. the red, orange, pink, and golden colours that spread across the sky as daylight
晚霞
日落時天空的顏色與景緻
the red, orange, pink, and golden colours that spread across the sky as daylight fades at the end of the day
The sunset over the ocean turned the sky into shades of orange, pink, and purple.
海面上的晚霞將天空染成了橘色、粉色和紫色。
describing a colourful sunset
Selim took many photos of the stunning sunset during his Grand Canyon trip.
Selim 在大峽谷旅行時拍了很多壯麗晚霞的照片。
The artist's painting captured the warm colours of a desert sunset perfectly.
這位藝術家的畫作完美捕捉了沙漠晚霞的溫暖色調。
Tourists gathered on the hilltop to admire the sunset and take pictures before it faded.
遊客們聚集在山丘上欣賞晚霞，趁天色暗下前拍照留念。
- afterglow
refers specifically to the soft light in the sky after the sun has fully set; less common
- sunset colours
a descriptive phrase rather than a single word
用法筆記
This sense focuses on the visual beauty of the sky (the colours, clouds, and light), not just the time. You can say a sunset is beautiful, stunning, colourful, or describe its specific colours. A sunset in this sense can be counted: 'We saw three beautiful sunsets during our holiday.'
常見錯誤
sunset — 動詞
1. to make a law or formal agreement stop being in effect at a pre-arranged date, o
終止；屆滿
讓法律或政策按預定日期失效
to make a law or formal agreement stop being in effect at a pre-arranged date, or to reach that end date and stop being in effect naturally
The old education law will sunset next year unless Congress votes to renew it.
這項舊的教育法將於明年屆滿失效，除非國會投票決定延續。
intransitive use: law + sunsets
The government decided to sunset the emergency tax policy after the economic crisis ended.
政府在經濟危機結束後決定終止緊急稅務政策。
transitive use: sunset [a law/policy]
Reema worried the healthcare plan would sunset before her father got the treatment he needed.
Reema 擔心這項醫療計劃會在她父親獲得所需治療之前就到期失效。
The temporary privacy law sunsets in 2027 unless Parliament votes to extend it.
這項臨時隱私保護法將於 2027 年自動到期失效，除非國會投票延長。
用法筆記
This legal verb is almost always used in formal or official contexts — laws, regulations, tax policies, government programmes. It is very rarely used for personal agreements (contracts between individuals use expire instead). The transitive form (to sunset something) means someone actively decides to let it end; the intransitive form (the law sunsets) means it comes to an end automatically.