family
/ˈfæməli/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈfæməli/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈfam-lē ˈfa-mə-/ (ame, mw)
family — 名詞
- familysingular
- familiesplural
1. people who are tied to one another through birth, legal union, or legal care — p
家庭；家人
有血緣或婚姻關係的一群人
people who are tied to one another through birth, legal union, or legal care — particularly mothers, fathers, and the kids they raise together.
Theo's family moved to Taiwan when he was eight years old.
Theo 八歲時，他的家人搬到了台灣。
family + singular verb
Every Sunday, the Salma family gathers for a big home-cooked meal.
每個星期日，Salma 一家人都會聚在一起吃一頓豐盛的家常菜。
Asher comes from a large family with four brothers and two sisters.
Asher 來自一個大家庭，有四個兄弟和兩個姊妹。
Sade's family has lived in that small village for over fifty years.
Sade 的家人住在那個小村莊已經超過五十年了。
Andrei introduced his new partner to the whole family at the party.
Andrei 在聚會上把他的新伴侶介紹給全家人認識。
- stranger
someone not related and not part of the group
文法句型
the + family + singular/plural verb
family of + number
用法筆記
Can be treated as singular or plural in British English: 'the family is' (as a unit) vs 'the family are' (as individuals). American English prefers the singular.
常見錯誤
2. a person's children, especially when they are young and living at home.
子女；孩子
指父母所生的孩子
a person's children, especially when they are young and living at home.
Padma and her husband want to start a family next year.
Padma 和她的丈夫打算明年生孩子。
start a family (begin having children)
Valentina put her career on hold to stay home and raise a family.
Valentina 暫緩了事業，留在家中養育子女。
raise a family
The couple next door have a young family with three small kids.
隔壁那對夫婦有三個年幼的孩子。
Michael and Élise are hoping to bring up a family in the countryside.
Michael 和 Élise 希望在鄉下養育孩子。
文法句型
have/raise/bring up + a family
young family
start a family
用法筆記
This sense often appears in fixed phrases like 'start a family' or 'raise a family'. It is uncountable when referring to the concept of having children ('they want family'), but countable when referring to a specific set ('they have a large family').
常見錯誤
3. people not linked by blood who form very close ties through shared experiences,
夥伴；家人
非血緣但關係緊密的一群人
people not linked by blood who form very close ties through shared experiences, values, or interests — for instance, coworkers who stand by each other in tough times, or members of a tight-knit community.
Indra considers her dance group a family because they have been through so much together.
Indra 把她的舞團視為家人，因為他們一起經歷了太多事情。
considers [group] a family
Sora's teammates became like a second family when he moved to a new city.
Sora 搬到新城市後，他的隊友就像他的第二個家。
like a family (metaphorical)
The church community felt like one big family to the newcomers.
對新來的人來說，那個教會社群就像一個大家庭。
Vinícius says his closest friends are his chosen family.
Vinícius 說他最親密的朋友是他自己選擇的家人。
Salma's book club has become a real family to her over the years.
這些年來，Salma 的讀書會對她來說已經變得像真正的家人一樣。
- community
broader, less emotionally intense; can be based on location
- clan
implies a tight-knit group with loyalty, but can sound old-fashioned
- fellowship
more formal, often used in religious or academic contexts
文法句型
a family of + noun
like family
用法筆記
Frequently used in the phrases 'like family' and 'chosen family' to emphasise emotional closeness without blood relation.
4. two grown animals and the babies they care for, living and moving together as a
動物家族
成年動物與其幼崽組成的群體
two grown animals and the babies they care for, living and moving together as a unit.
A family of ducks waddled across the park path this morning.
今天早上，一窩鴨子搖搖擺擺地走過公園的小路。
a family of + animal
Asher watched a fox family playing outside their den at dusk.
Asher 在黃昏時看到一窩狐狸在巢穴外面玩耍。
Sade spotted a family of deer grazing in the field behind the house.
Sade 看到一窩鹿在屋後的草地上吃草。
Theo photographed a lion family resting under an acacia tree.
Theo 拍攝到一個獅子家庭在金合歡樹下休息的照片。
文法句型
a family of + animal
[animal] family
5. a level in the scientific classification of living things, situated between genu
科（分類）
界門綱目科屬種中的一個等級
a level in the scientific classification of living things, situated between genus and order in the taxonomy system, grouping together organisms that share key characteristics.
Andrei learned that roses belong to the Rosaceae family.
Andrei 學到玫瑰屬於薔薇科。
the [name] family (scientific naming)
Botanists classify tomatoes and potatoes in the same plant family.
植物學家將番茄和馬鈴薯歸類於同一科。
Lions, tigers, and house cats all belong to the cat family, Felidae.
獅子、老虎和家貓都屬於貓科動物。
The sunflower family includes over twenty thousand different species.
向日葵科包含超過兩萬種不同的物種。
文法句型
the + [animal/plant] + family
family of + species
用法筆記
In scientific writing, family names are often capitalised and written in Latin (e.g. 'Felidae', 'Rosaceae'). Used with 'the' plus the common name ('the cat family') or the Latin name alone ('Felidae').
6. a set of related items, such as languages that developed from the same source, c
語系；系列
有共同來源的一組事物
a set of related items, such as languages that developed from the same source, chemical elements with similar properties, or products sharing a brand name.
French, Spanish, and Italian all come from the same language family.
法語、西班牙語和義大利語都屬於同一個語系。
language family
The Suzuki family of cars includes several different models for city driving.
Suzuki 車系包含多種適合城市駕駛的不同車款。
family of [products]
Indra studied the Germanic family of languages at university.
Indra 在大學時研究了日耳曼語系。
Élise's company launched a new family of skincare products last spring.
Élise 的公司去年春季推出了一系列新的護膚產品。
The noble gases form a family of elements that rarely react with others.
惰性氣體形成了一個極少與其他元素反應的元素家族。
文法句型
a family of + noun
用法筆記
Common in specialist contexts: linguistics (language families), chemistry (families of elements), and marketing (product families).
family — 形容詞
- familypositive
- more familycomparative
- most familysuperlative
1. relating to or involving a family, especially in matters of home life, relations
家庭的；家事
與家庭生活有關的
relating to or involving a family, especially in matters of home life, relationships, and responsibilities.
Valentina is on family leave after the birth of her son.
Valentina 兒子出生後正在休家庭照顧假。
family leave
The Watanabe family business has been running for three generations.
Watanabe 家族的企業已經經營了三代。
Sade hopes to achieve a good work-life balance and prioritise family time.
Sade 希望達到良好的工作與生活平衡，並優先考慮家庭時間。
Padma keeps a family photo on her desk at the office.
Padma 在辦公室的桌上放了一張家庭合照。
The doctor asked about Michael's family history of heart disease.
醫生詢問了 Michael 的心臟病家族病史。
文法句型
family + noun
用法筆記
Always used before a noun. Common compounds include 'family doctor', 'family business', 'family history', and 'family leave'.
常見錯誤
2. designed or appropriate for people of all ages, especially children and adults t
適合闔家的
適合所有年齡層的
designed or appropriate for people of all ages, especially children and adults together — used for films, restaurants, entertainment, or holiday destinations.
The new animated film is a family comedy that parents can enjoy too.
這部新的動畫片是一部連父母也會喜歡的闔家歡樂喜劇。
family comedy
Indra booked a table at a family restaurant with a children's play area.
Indra 在一間附設兒童遊戲區的家庭式餐廳訂了位。
family restaurant
Vinícius took his kids to a family show at the local theatre on Saturday.
Vinícius 星期六帶孩子們去當地的劇院看了一場適合家庭的表演。
The hotel advertised itself as a family resort with activities for all ages.
那家飯店自稱是適合全家人的度假村，提供全年齡層的活動。
Élise looks for family-friendly hiking trails when planning a weekend trip.
Élise 在規劃週末出遊時，會尋找適合全家大小的健行步道。
- family-friendly
more common in predicative use; same meaning but more informal
- child-friendly
focuses on suitability for children, not necessarily all ages
- adult-only
not suitable for children
文法句型
family + noun (film/restaurant/show)
用法筆記
Often paired with words for entertainment or services: 'family film', 'family restaurant', 'family holiday'. The compound 'family-friendly' is very common and can be used predicatively ('the movie is family-friendly').