twin
twin — 形容詞
1. describes two things that are exactly alike or made to be used together as a mat
成雙
兩個完全一樣或搭配使用的
describes two things that are exactly alike or made to be used together as a matching set — for example, twin beds in a hotel room, twin sisters who dress the same way, or twin towers of equal height.
Yan found a set of twin reading lamps at the weekend market.
Yan 在週末市集找到了一對成對的閱讀燈。
collocation: twin + noun describing a matching product
The hotel room had twin beds with soft white pillows.
那間飯店房間裡有兩張單人床，配上柔軟的白枕頭。
collocation: twin beds
Niran and his twin sister share a love of science fiction movies.
Niran 和他的雙胞胎妹妹都喜歡科幻電影。
The resort offered twin villas with a shared garden and a small pool between them.
該度假村提供雙併別墅，兩棟之間有共享花園和小型泳池。
- single
not part of a pair
- mismatched
does not match its partner
文法句型
twin + noun
用法筆記
Always placed immediately before the noun it describes — you cannot say 'a pair that is twin.'
常見錯誤
2. describes two linked situations or objectives that coexist in a single period —
同時發生的
兩個事件或目標同時出現的
describes two linked situations or objectives that coexist in a single period — for example, a government dealing with twin crises of drought and rising food prices.
Layla faces the twin challenge of studying for exams while working part-time.
Layla 面臨著準備考試同時又要打工的雙重挑戰。
collocation: twin challenge / twin problem
The company set twin goals for next year: to cut food waste by half and to install solar panels.
該公司為明年設定了兩大目標：將廚餘減半並安裝太陽能板。
collocation: twin goals
Manuela pursued twin ambitions after finishing college: opening a small bakery and learning Japanese.
Manuela 大學畢業後有兩大志向：開一家小麵包店以及學日語。
The hospital faced twin emergencies when two pile-ups happened on the same highway.
醫院在同一天面臨兩起連環車禍的雙重緊急狀況。
- dual
more general; can describe any two-part nature
- simultaneous
focuses on the timing aspect, not the paired relationship
- parallel
suggests two things happening alongside each other
文法句型
twin + noun (abstract)
用法筆記
Only used with abstract nouns like 'problems,' 'goals,' 'crises,' 'aims' — not with concrete objects. Distinguish from MATCHING PAIR (adj/1), which describes physical objects that form a matching set.
twin — 名詞
1. one of two babies who grow in the womb together and arrive on the same day — for
雙胞胎
同一母親同時出生的兩個孩子之一
one of two babies who grow in the womb together and arrive on the same day — for example, a girl whose brother was delivered during the same birth.
Padma and her fraternal twin both work as nurses at the same hospital.
Padma 和她的異卵雙胞胎手足在同一家醫院當護理師。
pattern: [name] and [possessive] twin — specifying twin type
Maeve is a twin, but her sister came out two minutes earlier.
Maeve 是雙胞胎，但她妹妹早了兩分鐘出生。
pattern: be a twin
The twins at the science fair impressed the judges with their working volcano model.
那對雙胞胎在科展中以會噴發的火山模型讓評審印象深刻。
Adaeze and her identical twin sister both showed up to the party wearing the same blue dress.
Adaeze 和她的同卵雙胞胎妹妹都沒約好，卻穿了同一件藍色洋裝來派對。
- identical twin
specifically refers to twins who share the same DNA
- fraternal twin
refers to twins who developed from separate eggs
- sibling
broader — any brother or sister, not necessarily a twin
- only child
a person with no siblings
文法句型
a twin
the twins
[possessive] twin
用法筆記
Often used in the plural form 'twins' to refer to the pair together. 'Identical twins' share the same genetic material; 'fraternal twins' develop from separate eggs and may look different.
常見錯誤
2. one of two things that look almost the same or are so closely connected they for
成對物
兩個幾乎一模一樣的事物之一
one of two things that look almost the same or are so closely connected they form a pair — for example, a painting that is the twin of one in another museum.
Ayesha found a blue vase at the market and its twin in an antique shop.
Ayesha 在市場找到一個藍色花瓶，又在古董店找到它的相同款式。
pattern: [noun] + twin / its twin
This statue is the exact twin of the one standing outside the museum in Rome.
這尊雕像是羅馬博物館外那尊雕像的完全複製品。
pattern: the twin of [something]
Lauren bought a brass lamp at a flea market and found its twin at an estate sale.
Lauren 在跳蚤市場買了一盞黃銅燈，又在二手拍賣找到它的配對款式。
The art collector realized the two landscape paintings were twins when she spotted the same brushwork in the clouds.
那位藝術收藏家注意到兩幅風景畫中雲朵的筆觸完全相同，才發現它們是成對的作品。
- duplicate
an exact copy, often made intentionally
- match
something that goes well with another item
- counterpart
slightly more formal; something that has a similar function or position
- opposite
completely different in character or form
文法句型
the twin of [something]
a twin to [something]
用法筆記
Often used with a possessive or 'the ... of' structure. The twin item does not have to be physically identical — it just forms a natural pair with the other.
twin — 動詞
1. to bring two people or things together so that they form a matching set or work
配對；結合
將兩個東西搭配在一起
to bring two people or things together so that they form a matching set or work well in combination — for example, twinning a red wine with a cheese plate at dinner.
Samir twinned his navy suit with a mustard-yellow tie for the awards dinner.
Samir 在頒獎晚宴上以芥末黃領帶搭配他的海軍藍西裝。
pattern: twin [noun] with [noun]
In the cooking class, each beginner was twinned with an experienced chef.
烹飪課上，每位初學者都搭配了一位經驗豐富的大廚。
passive: be twinned with
Nadia twinned the spicy lamb curry with a bowl of plain yogurt and warm naan bread.
Nadia 以一碗原味優格和熱的印度烤餅搭配辛辣的羊肉咖哩。
Walid twinned the wooden shelves in his bookshop with warm LED strip lights along each row.
Walid 在他的書店裡用暖色 LED 燈條搭配每一排的木質書架。
- separate
to divide or keep apart
文法句型
twin [noun] with [noun]
be twinned with [noun]
用法筆記
Commonly used in the passive ('A is twinned with B'). Less common in everyday speech — 'pair', 'match', or 'combine' are more frequent alternatives.
常見錯誤
2. to create a formal relationship between two towns or organizations, usually to e
結為姊妹
兩個城鎮或組織建立正式交流關係
to create a formal relationship between two towns or organizations, usually to encourage cultural exchange and visits between people from each place.
The town of Lyme Regis is twinned with a village in Brittany, France.
英國的萊姆里吉斯鎮與法國布列塔尼的一個村莊結為姊妹鎮。
passive: be twinned with [place]
The two schools were twinned so that students could exchange letters and visit each other.
這兩所學校結為姊妹校，讓學生可以通信並互訪。
Tokyo's Shinjuku district is twinned with New York's Midtown and Berlin's Mitte district.
東京新宿區與紐約中城區和柏林的米特區結為姊妹區。
The university was twinned with a college in Kenya for a student exchange program.
該大學與肯亞的一所學院結為姊妹校，進行學生交換計畫。
文法句型
be twinned with [town/city]
用法筆記
Primarily a British English concept; the equivalent term in American English is 'sister city.' Almost always used in the passive form.
3. to give birth to two offspring at the same time — used mainly for animals such a
生雙胞胎
（動物）一次生下兩隻幼崽
to give birth to two offspring at the same time — used mainly for animals such as goats, sheep, and cats that produce a pair of young in one pregnancy.
The farmer's goat twinned last spring, producing two healthy kids.
農夫的山羊去年春天生了雙胞胎，兩隻小羊都很健康。
pattern: [animal] twins (intransitive)
Maeve's cat has twinned twice in three years, with black and white kittens each time.
Maeve 的貓三年內生了兩次雙胞胎，每次都是黑貓和白貓。
Last winter, the shepherd's prize sheep twinned, surprising everyone with two healthy lambs.
去年冬天，牧羊人的寶貝綿羊生了雙胞胎，兩隻健康的小羊讓大家又驚又喜。
Sirin's neighbor was thrilled when her rabbit twinned for the very first time.
Sirin 的鄰居在她的兔子第一次生雙胞胎時非常興奮。
- have twins
the standard phrase for humans
- give birth to twins
more formal but very common
文法句型
[animal] twins
用法筆記
Very rare for humans in modern English — instead, say 'she had twins' or 'she gave birth to twins.' The verb form 'twin' for humans sounds old-fashioned or technical.