gas giant
gas giant — 名詞
1. a very large planet whose body is built mainly from light gases like hydrogen an
氣態巨行星
主要由氫氦等氣體構成的巨大行星
a very large planet whose body is built mainly from light gases like hydrogen and helium, with no solid surface to stand on; Jupiter and Saturn are the two best-known ones.
Through the telescope, Aoi pointed at Jupiter, a gas giant with no rocky ground.
透過望遠鏡，Aoi 指著木星這顆沒有堅硬地面的氣態巨行星。
naming the prototypical example (Jupiter) of the class
Saturn is a gas giant, so a spacecraft could never land on its swirling clouds.
土星是一顆氣態巨行星，所以太空船永遠無法降落在它翻騰的雲層上。
predicative: [planet] is a gas giant
The four gas giants in our solar system are far larger than the rocky inner planets.
我們太陽系裡的四顆氣態巨行星，比內側的岩質行星大上許多。
Scientists believe a gas giant pulls smaller moons into orbit with its huge gravity.
科學家認為氣態巨行星會用龐大的引力把較小的衛星拉進軌道。
Andrés wrote a school report on how a gas giant forms from clouds of hydrogen.
Andrés 寫了一份報告，說明氣態巨行星如何由氫氣雲形成。
- giant planet
broader cover term; includes ice giants like Neptune
- terrestrial planet
a small rocky planet such as Earth
用法筆記
Almost always used in astronomy contexts to group Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. Contrast with 'terrestrial planet' (a rocky planet like Earth or Mars).
常見錯誤
2. a very large business that supplies gas as fuel so that homes and factories can
天然氣巨頭
供應家庭與工廠燃氣的大型能源公司
a very large business that supplies gas as fuel so that homes and factories can heat rooms and cook, often controlling a big share of the market.
The gas giant raised its winter prices, and thousands of families struggled to pay the bills.
這家天然氣巨頭調高了冬季價格，數千個家庭因此繳不出帳單。
subject is a large energy company
Gita reported that the gas giant had earned record profits during the cold months.
Gita 報導指出，這家天然氣巨頭在寒冷月份賺進了破紀錄的利潤。
Two gas giants now control most of the heating fuel sold across the country.
如今兩家天然氣巨頭掌控了全國大部分的暖氣燃料供應。
The government warned the gas giant to lower its charges or face a heavy fine.
政府警告這家天然氣巨頭降低收費，否則將面臨重罰。
- energy giant
wider term; covers firms selling electricity too
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1 (the planet): this sense always refers to a company and appears in business or news writing about energy prices. The word 'gas' here means heating fuel, not the gases that form a planet.