empire

/ˈempaɪə(r)/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈempaɪər/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈem-ˌpī(-ə)r/ (ame, mw)

empire — 名詞

  • empiresingular
  • empiresplural

1. a large set of countries and regions united under the authority of a single powe

1.名詞及物 / 不及物B1
釋義

帝國

由一個中央政權統治的多國領土

a large set of countries and regions united under the authority of a single powerful state, monarch, or ruling government, usually gained by military force or settlement

例句

The Roman Empire once stretched from Britain to the Middle East.

羅馬帝國曾經從不列顛延伸至中東地區。

proper name: the Roman Empire

By the early 1900s, the British Empire covered almost a quarter of the world's land.

到二十世紀初，大英帝國幾乎涵蓋了全世界四分之一的面積。

historical reference: British Empire + time period

同義詞
  • kingdom

    usually refers to a single country under a monarch, not a multi-territory superstructure

  • realm

    more formal or literary; can refer to any area of rule, not necessarily large

  • dominion

    emphasises sovereignty and control; often used for territories within an empire

反義詞
  • colony

    a territory controlled by an empire rather than controlling one

文法句型

the + [name] + Empire

[possessive] + empire

用法筆記

Frequently capitalised when referring to a specific historical empire (the Roman Empire, the British Empire). The name typically precedes the word: the Inca Empire, not the Empire of Inca.

常見錯誤

❌The Chinese Empire existed for thousands of years.
✅The Chinese empire (or imperial China) existed for thousands of years.
💡Modern historians rarely capitalise 'empire' after a dynastic name unless the entity officially used 'Empire' in its title.

2. a huge group of businesses and commercial activities under the ownership or mana

2.名詞及物 / 不及物B2
釋義

企業帝國

由個人或集團控制的大型商業組織

a huge group of businesses and commercial activities under the ownership or management of a single individual, family, or company

例句

Elena built a fashion empire from a single small shop in London.

Elena 從倫敦一家小店起家，建立起一個時尚帝國。

pattern: [named person] builds + [sector] + empire from [humble start]

The billionaire's business empire includes hotels, airlines, and newspapers.

這位億萬富翁的商業帝國涵蓋酒店、航空公司和報業。

同義詞
  • conglomerate

    more technical, refers to a corporation made of many different businesses

  • enterprise

    broader term; less connotation of size or dominance

文法句型

[possessive] + [adjective] + empire

business empire

media empire

用法筆記

Commonly appears with an industry label: a media empire, a retail empire, a tech empire. The sense is metaphorical — the business does not control countries but dominates its market like an empire dominates territories.

常見錯誤

❌She runs an empire restaurant.
✅She runs a restaurant empire.
💡The industry comes before 'empire', not after it.

empire — 形容詞