chamber

/ˈtʃeɪmbə(r)/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈtʃeɪmbər/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈchām-bər/ (ame, mw)

chamber — 名詞

  • chambersingular
  • chambersplural

1. a large room where official meetings or government discussions take place; also,

1.名詞B2
釋義

會議廳；議院

正式會議或國會議事場所

a large room where official meetings or government discussions take place; also, one of the groups of people that make up a parliament, such as the upper or lower house.

例句

The council met in the main chamber of the town hall to discuss housing laws.

市議會在市政廳的主要會議廳開會討論新法案。

countable noun for official meeting rooms

Both chambers of parliament voted in favour of the education reform.

國會兩院均投票支持這項教育改革。

group-of-people sense: a house of parliament

同義詞
  • hall

    a large room or building for public events; less formal than chamber

  • assembly room

    more specific to large gatherings; older term

  • house

    used specifically for groups within a parliament (the House of Commons)

用法筆記

When referring to a part of parliament, capitalise the name: the Upper Chamber, the Lower Chamber.

2. the private work room of a judge, used for legal talks with lawyers away from th

2.名詞C1
釋義

法官室

法官的私人辦公室

the private work room of a judge, used for legal talks with lawyers away from the public area of a court; almost always used in the plural form 'chambers'.

例句

The two lawyers were called into the judge's chambers for a private meeting.

兩位律師被叫進法官室進行私下會談。

plural form 'chambers' for a judge's office

Judge Okafor reviewed the case files in his chambers before the afternoon hearing.

Okafor 法官在下午開庭前於法官室審閱案件檔案。

同義詞

用法筆記

Always plural ('chambers') even when referring to one judge's office. Never say 'a chamber' for this sense.

常見錯誤

❌The judge went to his chamber to prepare.
✅The judge went to his chambers to prepare.
💡A judge's office is always 'chambers' in legal English, even for one room.

3. a private office or reception room used by someone with an important role, such

3.名詞C1
釋義

首長室

高階官員或領導人的辦公室

a private office or reception room used by someone with an important role, such as a government minister, an ambassador, or a senior business leader.

例句

The ambassador received the delegates in his private chamber at the embassy.

大使在大使館的私人會客室接見代表團。

private reception room for an official

The minister's chamber sat at the end of a quiet hallway on the top floor.

部長的辦公室在頂樓一條安靜長廊的盡頭。

同義詞
  • office

    everyday word; less formal and less grand than chamber

  • study

    a private room for reading and work, especially in a large house

  • reception room

    a room where guests are formally received

用法筆記

This sense is formal and less common in everyday speech. 'Office' or 'study' is preferred in casual contexts.

4. a court proceeding that takes place in a judge's private office rather than in a

4.名詞C1
釋義

不公開審理

在法官辦公室秘密進行的庭審

a court proceeding that takes place in a judge's private office rather than in an open courtroom, so that the public and journalists cannot attend.

例句

The family court hearing was held in chambers to protect the children's privacy.

家事法庭為保護兒童隱私而進行不公開審理。

fixed phrase 'in chambers' for a private hearing

The judge ordered the sensitive financial dispute to be heard in chambers.

法官下令將這起敏感的財務糾紛改為不公開審理。

同義詞
反義詞
  • open court

    a court hearing that the public may attend

用法筆記

Distinguish from sense 2 (JUDGE'S OFFICE): sense 2 is the physical room; sense 4 is the legal proceeding that happens there. You enter chambers (room) for a hearing in chambers (proceeding).

常見錯誤

❌The trial went to chambers without anyone knowing.
✅The trial was held in chambers without the public present.
💡'Go to chambers' suggests the room; 'held in chambers' describes the private hearing itself.

5. a place inside a house or castle where people sleep — an old-fashioned or litera

5.名詞B2
釋義

寢室

臥室（文學或古舊用語）

a place inside a house or castle where people sleep — an old-fashioned or literary word for 'bedroom'.

例句

The queen retired to her chamber for the night with a book.

女王拿著一本書回到寢室過夜。

literary/old-fashioned register for bedroom

Hana lit a candle in her chamber before climbing into bed.

Hana 在上床前於寢室裡點了一根蠟燭。

同義詞
  • bedroom

    modern everyday term for a room used for sleeping

  • sleeping room

    more formal but still current

  • boudoir

    a woman's private sitting room or bedroom; narrower in meaning

用法筆記

In modern everyday English, 'bedroom' is preferred. Use 'chamber' for historical stories, fairy tales, or formal hotel descriptions.

常見錯誤

❌I went to my chamber to sleep.' (in everyday speech)
✅I went to my bedroom to sleep.
💡Use 'bedroom' in casual modern English; 'chamber' sounds overly formal or old-fashioned.

6. a closed space, hollow area, or compartment inside something such as a machine,

6.名詞B2
釋義

腔室；內室

機器、植物或生物體內的密閉空間

a closed space, hollow area, or compartment inside something such as a machine, a plant, or a living body — for example, the chambers of the heart or the combustion chamber of an engine.

例句

The human heart has four chambers that pump blood around the body.

人類的心臟有四個腔室，將血液輸送到全身。

anatomy: chambers of the heart

The combustion chamber of the engine reached over eight hundred degrees.

引擎的燃燒室溫度超過了八百度。

mechanical: combustion chamber of an engine

同義詞
  • cavity

    a hollow space inside a solid object or body; more technical than chamber

  • compartment

    a separate section within a container; more general

  • hollow

    an empty space inside something; less technical

用法筆記

Common in technical contexts (anatomy, engineering, mechanics). When used for body parts, often paired with a specific name: 'anterior chamber' (eye), 'combustion chamber' (engine), 'heart chamber'.

chamber — 動詞

chamber — 形容詞