bce
/ˌbiː.siːˈiː/ (bre, ipa) · /ˌbiː.siːˈiː/ (ame, ipa)
bce — 副詞
1. written after a year or century to show that the date belongs to the period befo
西元前
基督教曆法起始前的年份
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.
根據傳說，古羅馬城建於西元前753年。
in + [year] + BCE — pattern for specifying a year
The philosopher Socrates was sentenced to death in 399 BCE in Athens.
哲學家蘇格拉底於西元前399年在雅典被處死。
Egyptian pyramids at Giza were built around 2560 BCE.
埃及吉薩金字塔約建於西元前2560年。
The Silk Road trade route connected China and Europe as early as 130 BCE.
絲綢之路早在西元前130年便連接了中國與歐洲。
Scholars date the earliest known Chinese writing to about 1200 BCE.
學者將現存最早的中國文字記載定年於約西元前1200年。
- 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.'