cement
/sɪˈment/ (bre, ipa) · /sɪˈment/ (ame, ipa) · /si-ˈment also ˈsē-ment/ (ame, mw) · /səˈment/ (ame, ipa)
cement — 名詞
1. A fine powder made from minerals that hardens after water is added. Builders mix
水泥
建築用灰色粉末材料
A fine powder made from minerals that hardens after water is added. Builders mix it with sand and stones to create a solid building material used for walls, paths, and floors.
The construction workers mixed cement with water and sand to build the new garden wall.
建築工人把水泥跟水和沙混合，用來砌新的花園圍牆。
collocation: mix cement with water and sand
A truck delivered fifteen bags of cement to the building site early this morning.
一早就有卡車把十五袋水泥送到工地。
Once the cement dries, it becomes hard enough to hold bricks in place.
水泥乾了之後會變得夠硬，能將磚塊牢牢固定。
The factory produces enough cement each month to build fifty new houses.
這家工廠每個月生產的水泥足夠建造五十棟新房子。
常見錯誤
2. Any thick, sticky substance used to join two surfaces or to fill cracks, sold in
黏合劑
將物體黏在一起的物質
Any thick, sticky substance used to join two surfaces or to fill cracks, sold in tubes or pots for household or workshop repairs.
Ravi used strong cement to stick the broken handle back onto his favourite mug.
Ravi 用強力黏合劑把他最愛杯子的斷把黏了回去。
collocation: strong cement
Aiko bought cement at the hardware store to repair her cracked flower pot.
Aiko 在五金行買了一條黏合劑，用來修補花盆的裂縫。
This rubber cement works well for gluing tiles onto a bathroom wall.
這種橡膠黏合劑很適合用來把磁磚貼到浴室牆上。
Priya used cement to seal the gaps around the bathroom sink.
Priya 用黏合劑把浴室洗手台周邊的縫隙封了起來。
常見錯誤
3. A shared quality — such as a language, belief, memory, or goal — that keeps a gr
凝聚力
讓人團結的共同因素
A shared quality — such as a language, belief, memory, or goal — that keeps a group of people strongly connected and working together.
The shared language served as a cement that held the community together across four generations.
共同的語言就像一種凝聚力，讓這個社區四代人都緊緊相連。
figurative use: cement that holds [group] together
Music can act as a powerful social cement, bringing together people from very different backgrounds.
音樂可以成為強大的社會凝聚力，把背景非常不同的人們聚集在一起。
compound: social cement
The team's loyalty was the cement that held them together through every defeat.
全隊的忠誠就是那股凝聚力，讓大家在每一次挫敗中都團結一致。
Their love of traditional dance became the cement that held the club together for forty years.
他們對傳統舞蹈的熱愛成了那股凝聚力，讓社團維持了四十年。
- bond
Bond focuses on the emotional connection itself; cement focuses on the force that creates and maintains that connection.
- glue
Glue is used in the same figurative way ('the glue that holds a team together') but feels slightly more informal than cement.
- link
Link is more neutral and less emotionally strong than cement — a link connects, but cement binds firmly.
- division
Division is a force that separates people, opposite to the uniting force of cement.
用法筆記
Almost always used in figurative or metaphorical contexts, often in the phrase 'the cement that holds (a group) together.' Avoid using this sense when talking about physical building materials.
cement — 動詞
1. To cover a surface with cement or to attach one object firmly to another using c
黏合；塗水泥
用水泥或黏合劑固定物體
To cover a surface with cement or to attach one object firmly to another using cement or a similar strong adhesive.
The builder cemented the metal post into the ground to make the fence stand firm.
工人把金屬柱子用水泥固定到地裡，讓圍籬穩固不搖。
pattern: cement + object + into + place
Diego cemented each broken tile onto the kitchen floor until the surface was smooth.
Diego 一片一片地把破掉的磁磚黏回廚房地板，直到表面恢復平整。
The loose bricks were cemented back into the wall before winter made the damage worse.
那些鬆動的磚塊在冬天來臨前就被重新用水泥固定回牆上了。
The plumber cemented the broken pipe joint to stop the leak.
水電工用水泥把破裂的水管接頭封住，止住了漏水。
- glue
Glue is the general verb for joining with adhesive; cement suggests using a cement-like material and usually implies heavier, more durable objects.
- fix
Fix is broader and does not specify the method — you can fix something with nails, screws, or cement.
- attach
Attach is more general and less physical in feel — you attach a file to an email; you cement a post into the ground.
文法句型
cement + object + to/onto + surface
cement + object + in/into + place
用法筆記
Commonly used in the passive voice when describing the result ('the tiles were cemented in place'). The object is usually a building component (brick, tile, post, slab).
常見錯誤
2. To make a relationship, agreement, or position firmer and more lasting, especial
鞏固
使關係、地位或協議更穩固
To make a relationship, agreement, or position firmer and more lasting, especially by doing something that strengthens the connection between the people or groups involved.
The two companies cemented their partnership by signing a five-year trade agreement.
兩家公司簽訂了一項為期五年的貿易協議，鞏固了彼此的合作關係。
pattern: cement + a partnership
Winning the championship cemented the team's reputation as the strongest squad in the league.
贏得冠軍鞏固了這支球隊在聯賽中最強隊伍的名聲。
Leila cemented her position in the company by leading three successful projects in a row.
Leila 連續主導三個成功的專案，鞏固了她在公司的地位。
The festival cemented the bond between the two neighbouring towns.
這場節慶鞏固了兩個相鄰城鎮之間的聯繫。
- strengthen
Strengthen is the most general word and works in any context; cement adds the nuance of creating a long-lasting, unbreakable bond.
- consolidate
Consolidate emphasizes making something more solid by combining parts; cement emphasizes the act of binding people or groups together.
- solidify
Solidify suggests moving from a loose or uncertain state to a definite one ('solidify a plan'), while cement focuses on interpersonal or positional bonds.
- reinforce
Reinforce means adding extra support to something that already exists, while cement implies creating or finalizing a lasting connection.
文法句型
cement + noun_phrase (relationship/partnership/reputation/position/bond)
用法筆記
Commonly used with abstract nouns such as relationship, partnership, friendship, reputation, position, bond, status, or agreement. This sense does not describe physical sticking — use sense 1 for physical objects.