generation

/ˌdʒenəˈreɪʃn/ (bre, ipa) · /ˌdʒenəˈreɪʃn/ (ame, ipa) · /ˌje-nə-ˈrā-shən/ (ame, mw)

generation — 名詞

  • generationsingular
  • generationsplural

1. everyone belonging to a community or to one family line who arrived in life at r

1.名詞B1
釋義

世代

社會或家庭中約同年齡的一群人

everyone belonging to a community or to one family line who arrived in life at roughly the same period and often share similar experiences or views

例句

The younger generation often has very different views on work and family from their parents.

年輕世代對於工作和家庭的看法，經常和他們的父母非常不同。

younger generation / older generation — common contrasting collocations

Christopher's family has farmed this same land for three generations.

Christopher 一家人在同一塊土地上耕作已經三代了。

同義詞
  • cohort

    more technical; used in research or statistics for a group tracked over time

  • age group

    broader; can refer to any range of ages, not necessarily those born around the same time

文法句型

adjective + generation

generation of + plural noun

用法筆記

Often paired with adjectives like younger, older, new, rising, or lost to identify which age group is being discussed.

常見錯誤

❌The digital generation of the 1990s was exciting.
✅The digital era of the 1990s was exciting.
💡'generation' refers to people, not to a period of time or an era.

2. roughly 25 to 30 years — the typical gap between parents having children and tho

2.名詞B2
釋義

一代

約25至30年的時間跨度

roughly 25 to 30 years — the typical gap between parents having children and those children growing up and raising families of their own

例句

The family business has been handed down for more than a generation.

這份家族事業已經傳承了超過一代人的時間。

Within a single generation, the fishing village grew into a busy tourist town.

在短短一代人的時間裡，這個漁村發展成了繁華的觀光小鎮。

within a single generation — time-span prepositional phrase

同義詞
  • era

    much longer and less precise; not tied to human reproduction cycles

文法句型

a generation

within a generation

a generation ago

用法筆記

Common in expressions that measure how much something changed over roughly 25–30 years, such as 'a generation ago' or 'within a generation'.

常見錯誤

❌A generation is exactly thirty years.
✅A generation is roughly 25 to 30 years.
💡the length is not precise; it is an approximate human time scale.

3. a single level in the chain of descent for living things, where parents produce

3.名詞B2
釋義

生物代

生物繁衍中的一個世代層級

a single level in the chain of descent for living things, where parents produce offspring, and those offspring become the parents for the next level

例句

Farmers have bred these wheat plants over many generations to resist disease.

農民經過好幾個世代的培育，讓這些小麥具有抗病能力。

over many generations — cumulative breeding pattern

The third generation of mice in the trial showed no signs of the genetic disorder.

實驗中的第三代老鼠完全沒有表現出該遺傳疾病的跡象。

同義詞
  • bloodline

    more informal; emphasises family lineage rather than scientific breeding

  • lineage

    formal; focuses on ancestry and descent

文法句型

ordinal number + generation of + plural noun

from one generation to the next

用法筆記

Used in biology and agriculture to discuss heredity and selective breeding. Often paired with a number (first, second, third) to indicate the descent level.

常見錯誤

❌The fifth generation of the plant was taller.' (unclear which level).
✅The fifth generation of the selectively bred corn was noticeably taller.
💡specify the context so the reader knows this is about biological descent, not tech products.

4. used after a number such as 'first', 'second', or 'third' to show which stage of

4.名詞B1
釋義

第…代

移民家庭在該國出生的第幾代

used after a number such as 'first', 'second', or 'third' to show which stage of a family was born in the new country rather than in the original home country

例句

Tariq is a first-generation American whose parents moved from Egypt in the 1990s.

Tariq 是父母在1990年代從埃及移居而來的第一代美國人。

first-generation [nationality] — immigrant-status compound

Many second-generation immigrants speak their parents' native language at home but use English at school.

許多第二代移民在家裡說父母的母語，但在學校使用英語。

文法句型

ordinal number + -generation + nationality noun

用法筆記

First-generation means the person was born in the new country to immigrant parents. Some conventions count the immigrants themselves as first-generation; check regional usage.

常見錯誤

❌She is a first generation.
✅She is a first-generation American.
💡the number must be attached to a nationality or identity word.

5. the process of producing energy, especially electricity or heat, from a particul

5.名詞B2
釋義

發電；產能

以特定形式生產能量的過程

the process of producing energy, especially electricity or heat, from a particular source such as sun, wind, water, or fuel

例句

The new hydroelectric dam will increase the region's electricity generation by thirty percent.

新的水力發電水壩將使該地區的發電量增加百分之三十。

electricity generation — common compound noun

Solar power generation has become dramatically cheaper over the past ten years.

太陽能發電在過去十年中已經變得大幅便宜。

Solar power generation — [source] + generation compound

同義詞
  • production

    broader; can apply to any manufactured good, not just energy

  • output

    emphasises the amount produced rather than the process

文法句型

[energy source] + generation

generation of + energy type

用法筆記

Typically combined with the energy source as a compound noun — for example, 'wind generation', 'solar generation', 'power generation'. The 'of' form ('generation of electricity') is more formal.

常見錯誤

❌The generation of the new employee was poor.' (confusing senses).
✅The power generation capacity of the new plant is impressive.
💡be clear that this sense is about energy output.

6. the process of making something start to exist, especially something abstract su

6.名詞C1
釋義

產生

使某事物（常為抽象事物）形成的過程

the process of making something start to exist, especially something abstract such as ideas, wealth, or opportunities

例句

The company holds weekly brainstorming sessions to encourage the generation of fresh ideas.

該公司每週舉行腦力激盪會議，鼓勵產生新的想法。

generation of [abstract noun] — formal creation pattern

Joon's research focuses on the generation of stable jobs in rural communities.

Joon 的研究重點在於在鄉村地區產生穩定的工作機會。

同義詞
  • creation

    more general and more common in everyday language

  • production

    more concrete; often refers to manufacturing physical goods

文法句型

generation of + abstract noun

用法筆記

Distinguish from sense 5 (ENERGY PRODUCTION): sense 6 applies to abstract or general creation, not specifically energy. Common in academic or formal writing with nouns like 'ideas', 'wealth', 'jobs', 'knowledge'.

常見錯誤

❌The generation of new houses took six months.' (too concrete).
✅The generation of new business opportunities took several months.
💡this sense works best with abstract nouns.

7. all items of a particular type, such as phones or computers, that come out durin

7.名詞B2
釋義

產品代

同一技術發展階段的產品或機器

all items of a particular type, such as phones or computers, that come out during one phase of technical progress, with each newer set being more capable than the one before

例句

The new generation of electric cars can travel much farther on a single charge.

新一代的電動車單次充電可以行駛更遠的距離。

new generation of [product class] — technology product cycle

Valentina just bought the latest generation of smartwatch, which tracks her sleep and heart rate.

Valentina 剛買了最新一代的智慧手錶，可以追蹤她的睡眠和心率。

同義詞
  • version

    more specific about software or numbered releases; less about the overall technological era

  • iteration

    emphasises a repeated design cycle, common in agile development

文法句型

ordinal number + generation of + plural noun

the next/previous generation of + plural noun

用法筆記

Very common in technology marketing and reviews. A 'next-generation' product is one that has significant improvements over what came before.

常見錯誤

❌I bought the third generation iPhone.
✅I bought a third-generation iPhone.
💡when used as a compound adjective before a noun, add a hyphen: third-generation.

8. the natural biological process by which living things produce offspring, continu

8.名詞C1
釋義

繁殖；生育

生物產生後代的過程

the natural biological process by which living things produce offspring, continuing the existence of a species

例句

The textbook examines the role of generation and reproduction across different animal species.

這本教科書探討了不同動物物種中繁殖與生育的角色。

generation and reproduction — paired formal biological terms

Dr. Ayana Okafor studied three generations of zebrafish in her lab to learn how fin tissue regenerates after injury.

Ayana Okafor 博士在實驗室中研究了三個世代的斑馬魚，以了解鰭組織在受傷後如何再生。

three generations of [species] — generational study in biology

同義詞
  • procreation

    narrower in meaning; strictly refers to producing offspring

  • reproduction

    more common in modern science; broader, including cell division and cloning

文法句型

human generation

generation and reproduction

用法筆記

This is a formal, technical sense used mainly in biology, medicine, and historical texts about reproduction. In everyday speech, 'reproduction' or 'having children' is far more common.