bce
/ˌbiː.siːˈiː/ (bre, ipa) · /ˌbiː.siːˈiː/ (ame, ipa)
bce — adverb
1. written after a year or century to show that the date belongs to the period befo
written after a year or century to show that the date belongs to the period before the year 1 CE (Common Era) in the Western calendar system; means the same as BC, but avoids direct reference to Christianity — for example, the philosopher Socrates died in 399 BCE, or the Great Wall sections built around 200 BCE.
The ancient city of Rome was founded, according to legend, in 753 BCE.
in + [year] + BCE — pattern for specifying a year
The philosopher Socrates was sentenced to death in 399 BCE in Athens.
Egyptian pyramids at Giza were built around 2560 BCE.
The Silk Road trade route connected China and Europe as early as 130 BCE.
Scholars date the earliest known Chinese writing to about 1200 BCE.
- BC
older, more traditional abbreviation for 'Before Christ'; identical in meaning but uses explicitly Christian terminology
- CE
Common Era; marks years after year 1 in the same calendar system
文法句型
[year/century] + BCE
用法筆記
BCE is increasingly preferred in academic and historical writing as a neutral alternative to BC (Before Christ). It is placed after the year number — for example, '500 BCE' (not 'BCE 500'). The corresponding label for years after 1 CE is CE (Common Era). When saying a date aloud, speakers usually say 'five hundred BCE' or 'five hundred before the Common Era.'