humans
humans — 名詞
1. more than one man, woman, or child, especially when thought of as a group that i
人類
作為群體的男女老幼，相對於動物或機器
more than one man, woman, or child, especially when thought of as a group that is different from animals or machines.
Most humans need about eight hours of sleep every night.
大多數人類每天晚上需要大約八小時的睡眠。
subject of a general statement about people
Daichi believes that dogs understand humans better than we think.
Daichi 認為狗比我們所想的更懂人類。
object after a verb of perception
The robots in the film could not tell humans apart from other robots.
電影裡的機器人無法把人類和其他機器人分辨出來。
Bears usually keep away from humans unless they are very hungry.
熊通常會避開人類，除非牠們非常飢餓。
Nia studies how humans behaved thousands of years ago.
Nia 研究幾千年前人類是怎麼生活的。
- people
more everyday; used in almost any context
- human beings
more formal; common in writing and scientific contexts
- persons
very formal or legal; rare in spoken English
文法句型
plural noun
用法筆記
Plural form of the noun 'human'. Often used in contrast with animals, machines, or imagined non-human beings to highlight what people share as a species.
常見錯誤
2. members of the biological group Homo, which includes modern people and their clo
智人；人屬
Homo 屬的成員，含現代人與近親
members of the biological group Homo, which includes modern people and their close extinct relatives, studied in fields like anthropology and evolution.
Modern humans first appeared in Africa around 300,000 years ago.
現代智人大約在三十萬年前最早出現在非洲。
scientific subject of an evolutionary statement
Vivek's lab compares the DNA of humans with that of other great apes.
Vivek 的實驗室會比較人類和其他大型猿類的 DNA。
object in a scientific comparison
Early humans learned to control fire long before they built villages.
早期人類在建立村落之前，就已經學會控制火。
Some scientists argue that humans and Neanderthals once lived side by side.
有些科學家認為人類和尼安德塔人曾經一起生活過。
- Homo sapiens
the formal scientific name; treated as singular or uncountable
- hominins
broader scientific group that also includes extinct ancestors
文法句型
plural noun
用法筆記
Used in scientific and educational contexts where the focus is on Homo sapiens as a biological species. Distinguish from sense 1, where the focus is on people as a social or moral group rather than as a species.
常見錯誤
humans — 形容詞
1. connected with people, or belonging to people, especially when set against anima
人的；人類的
與人相關、屬於人的，常相對於動物或機器
connected with people, or belonging to people, especially when set against animals, machines, or natural forces.
Élise studies the human brain and how it stores memories.
Élise 研究人腦以及它儲存記憶的方式。
attributive: human + body part / organ
The fire was caused by human error, not by faulty wiring.
這場火災是人為失誤造成的，不是因為電線故障。
collocation: human error
Many old paintings show animals dressed in human clothes.
許多舊畫作把動物畫成穿著人類衣服的樣子。
Theo argues that no machine can fully replace human contact.
Theo 認為沒有任何機器能完全取代人與人之間的接觸。
- personal
narrower; about one individual rather than people in general
- animal
the usual contrast in biology and everyday speech
- mechanical
contrast in technology contexts
文法句型
human + noun
be + human
用法筆記
Frequently appears in fixed collocations such as 'human body', 'human nature', 'human error', and 'human rights'. Used both before nouns and after 'be' (e.g. 'we are only human').
常見錯誤
2. having the kinds of feelings, weaknesses, and reactions that ordinary people hav
有人性的
有一般人的感情與缺點，不冷漠、不像機器
having the kinds of feelings, weaknesses, and reactions that ordinary people have, rather than being perfect, cold, or machine-like.
Lara apologised, saying that losing her temper was only human.
Lara 道歉了，她說發脾氣只是人之常情。
predicative: only human, after a fault
After two months in the role, the new manager started to seem more human.
做了兩個月之後，這位新主管開始顯得比較有人性。
predicative: become more human (less cold)
Cyrus loves the film because the robot slowly develops human feelings.
Cyrus 喜歡這部電影，因為機器人慢慢發展出人類的情感。
It is very human to feel nervous before speaking in front of a crowd.
在一群人面前說話會緊張，是非常人性的反應。
- humane
stronger; focuses on kindness and mercy, especially toward those who suffer
- compassionate
more formal; emphasises feeling for others' pain
文法句型
be + human
very human + noun
用法筆記
Often appears in 'only human' to forgive a mistake, and 'more human' to describe someone becoming warmer or less distant. Distinguish from sense 1: here the focus is on emotional qualities, not on the biological category.
常見錯誤
3. belonging to the scientific group Homo, used in biology and anthropology to talk
人屬的
屬於 Homo 屬，多用於科學語境
belonging to the scientific group Homo, used in biology and anthropology to talk about modern people and their close extinct relatives.
Putri's textbook shows how human ancestors slowly developed larger brains.
Putri 的課本說明人類祖先如何慢慢演化出更大的腦。
attributive: human ancestors (evolutionary)
The cave held the oldest human bones ever found in that region.
這個洞穴裡有該地區出土最古老的人類骨骸。
attributive: human bones (anthropology)
Yuna's team studies how human populations spread out of Africa.
Yuna 的團隊研究人類族群如何從非洲擴散出去。
Scientists can now read parts of the human genome in only a few hours.
科學家現在只需要幾個小時，就能讀出人類基因組的一部分。
- hominin
technical; covers Homo plus close extinct ancestors
- non-human
scientific contrast, especially with other primates
文法句型
human + scientific noun
用法筆記
Restricted to scientific contexts (biology, archaeology, genetics). Distinguish from sense 1: here the focus is on Homo as a biological category, not on everyday people-versus-animal contrasts.