esse
esse — 名詞
1. the state or fact of existing; being itself, especially as a central concept in
存在
事物實際存在的狀態或事實
the state or fact of existing; being itself, especially as a central concept in philosophy
Professor Bilal tapped the empty chair. 'Even unused,' he said, 'this chair keeps its esse.'
Bilal 教授敲了敲空椅子。「即使沒人坐，」他說，「這把椅子仍然保有它的存在。」
pattern: using 'esse' in a concrete classroom demonstration
The monk wrote that esse is the gift of existing at every moment.
那位修士寫道，存在是每一刻都被賦予的禮物。
Putri held up the old letter and explained that long after the ink had faded, its esse remained.
Putri 舉起那封舊信，解釋說墨水早已褪色，它的存在依然留存。
Theo touched the word esse carved above the monastery door and said it named the ground beneath all things.
Theo 觸摸刻在修道院門上的 esse 一字，說它命名了萬物之下的根基。
Lien lit a candle in the dark chapel and called it the closest image of esse she knew.
Lien 在黑暗的教堂裡點燃一支蠟燭，說這是她所知最接近存在的意象。
- nothingness
more common in existentialist philosophy
用法筆記
A technical term in philosophy, especially in medieval and Thomistic thought. Not used in everyday English conversation.
2. the deepest, unchanging nature of something — what it truly is beneath its surfa
本質
事物最核心、不可化約的性質
the deepest, unchanging nature of something — what it truly is beneath its surface features and changeable traits
After the falling-out, Ishaan scrawled in his notebook that he had mistaken jokes for the esse of friendship.
鬧翻之後，Ishaan 在筆記本上草草寫道，他錯把玩笑當成了友誼的本質。
pattern: 'mistaken [surface trait] for the esse of [relationship]'
Amelia watched the nurses for a week and concluded that the esse of their work was attentiveness.
Amelia 觀察護理師工作一週後得出結論：她們工作的本質是專注。
pattern: 'the esse of [profession] is [core quality]'
Bilal's tutor wrote one question on the blank sheet: 'What is the esse of a promise?'
Bilal 的導師在白紙上只寫了一個問題：「承諾的本質是什麼？」
Vinícius walked through the empty flat and felt that the esse of home had left with his grandmother.
Vinícius 穿過空蕩蕩的公寓，感覺到家的本質已隨著祖母一起離開了。
Allison shut her notebook and wrote one line: the esse of a song is the silence it leaves behind.
Allison 闔上筆記本，寫下一行字：一首歌的本質是它留下的寂靜。
- accident
in philosophy, a non-essential property that a thing can lose without changing its nature
用法筆記
Often used in formal philosophical or literary contexts to refer to the deepest, unchanging nature of something. Distinguish from sense 1 (EXISTENCE), which is about the bare fact of being rather than inner nature.