byzantine
/baɪˈzæntaɪn/ (bre, ipa) · [bˈɪzəntˌaɪn] /ˈbɪzəntiːn/ (ame, ipa) · [bˈɪzəntˌaɪn] /ˈbi-zᵊn-ˌtēn How to pronounce Byzantine (audio) ˈbī-, -ˌtīn; bə-ˈzan-ˌtēn, bī-ˈzan- How to pronounce Byzantine (audio)/ (ame, mw)
byzantine — 形容詞
- byzantinepositive
- more byzantinecomparative
- most byzantinesuperlative
1. involving many tangled rules or hidden deals, so it is hard to follow or make si
錯綜複雜
規則繁多又不透明
involving many tangled rules or hidden deals, so it is hard to follow or make simpler
Anthony spent three hours untangling the byzantine permit rules at city hall.
Anthony 花了三個小時才理清市政廳那套錯綜複雜的許可規定。
byzantine permit rules
The startup collapsed under a byzantine tax system full of hidden fees.
那家新創公司被一套滿是隱藏費用的錯綜複雜稅制拖垮了。
byzantine tax system
Wei could not tell who approved the loan in that byzantine office.
Wei 看不出那個錯綜複雜的單位裡到底是誰核准了貸款。
Reporters described the party's byzantine inner circles and backroom bargains.
記者說那個政黨的核心圈子與幕後交易網絡十分錯綜複雜。
Every appeal moved through a byzantine chain of forms and stamps.
每一次申訴都得走過一條錯綜複雜的表格與蓋章流程。
- convoluted
stresses twisted complexity, often in plans or explanations
- labyrinthine
suggests a maze-like structure with many confusing turns
- opaque
focuses more on lack of transparency than on the number of steps
- straightforward
easy to follow because the steps are direct
- transparent
easy to understand because the process is open and clear
文法句型
a byzantine process
byzantine rules
a byzantine bureaucracy
用法筆記
Usually used before nouns such as process, bureaucracy, rules, or system. It often suggests not just complexity but hidden power, unclear responsibility, or needless obstacles.
常見錯誤
2. belonging to Byzantium, its later eastern empire, or the church and art traditio
拜占庭的
與拜占庭帝國或東正教相關
belonging to Byzantium, its later eastern empire, or the church and art traditions shaped there
The guide pointed out Byzantine mosaics inside the old church in Ravenna.
導覽員指出拉文納那座老教堂裡的拜占庭鑲嵌畫。
Byzantine mosaics
Our class learned how Byzantine emperors ruled from Constantinople.
我們課上學到拜占庭皇帝如何從君士坦丁堡統治帝國。
Byzantine emperors
The museum borrowed a Byzantine icon painted on a wooden panel.
博物館借來了一幅畫在木板上的拜占庭聖像。
Scholars compared Roman law with Byzantine church law in the seminar.
學者在研討會中比較羅馬法與拜占庭教會法。
Elise sketched the great dome of a Byzantine church in Istanbul.
Elise 素描了伊斯坦堡一座拜占庭教堂的大圓頂。
- Eastern Roman
a close historical label, especially for the empire and its rulers
- Orthodox
fits only church-related contexts, not the whole empire or its art
文法句型
Byzantine art
Byzantine church
Byzantine emperor
用法筆記
Usually written with a capital B in this historical sense. Common with nouns such as Empire, emperor, church, icon, mosaic, and architecture.
常見錯誤
byzantine — 名詞
1. someone who lived in Byzantium or came from that city
拜占庭人
來自古代拜占庭的人
someone who lived in Byzantium or came from that city
The novel follows a young Byzantine who works in the palace kitchens.
這本小說講一名在宮廷廚房工作的年輕拜占庭人。
a young Byzantine
Merchants from Venice traded silk with a Byzantine at the harbor.
來自威尼斯的商人在港口和一名拜占庭人交易絲綢。
trade with a Byzantine
The historian quoted a Byzantine who described the city's walls.
歷史學家引用了一名拜占庭人對那座城市城牆的記述。
In the play, one Byzantine warns the court about the coming siege.
在劇中，一名拜占庭人警告朝廷即將到來的圍城。
- Byzantine citizen
more explicit when the political status matters
- inhabitant of Byzantium
a plain explanatory phrase rather than a fixed single-word synonym
文法句型
a Byzantine from the capital
Byzantines traded across the Mediterranean
用法筆記
Used mainly in history writing. It refers to a person from ancient Byzantium or the Byzantine world, not to present-day residents of Istanbul.