mandarin

IPA/ˈmæn.dər.ɪn/
KK[mˈændɚən]IPA/ˈmæn.dɚ.ɪn/

mandarin — 名詞

  • mandarinsingular
  • mandarinsplural

1. a small citrus fruit, usually sweeter than many oranges, with thin skin that is

1.名詞B1
釋義

蜜柑

皮薄好剝的小甜橘或其果樹

a small citrus fruit, usually sweeter than many oranges, with thin skin that is easy to remove, or the tree that bears it

例句

Tomás packed two mandarins in his lunch box for the ferry ride.

Tomás 在搭渡輪前把兩顆蜜柑放進午餐盒裡。

pack mandarins in a lunch box

A bowl of mandarins brightened the kitchen table during Lunar New Year.

農曆新年時，一碗蜜柑讓廚房餐桌亮了起來。

同義詞
  • mandarin orange

    a fuller name that makes the citrus sense completely explicit

  • tangerine

    often names a deeper-orange, easy-peeling type within the mandarin group

  • clementine

    usually a very sweet, often seedless variety sold as a type of mandarin

文法句型

peel a mandarin

a bowl of mandarins

mandarin tree

用法筆記

In everyday English this usually names the fruit. If you want to make the plant clear, speakers often say mandarin tree.

常見錯誤

❌I bought mandarin for breakfast.
✅I bought mandarins for breakfast.
💡when you mean the fruit pieces themselves, English usually treats this sense as a countable noun.

2. the standard variety of Chinese used as an official language in China and also w

2.名詞B1
釋義

普通話

中國的標準漢語

the standard variety of Chinese used as an official language in China and also widely used in Singapore

例句

Anjali started learning Mandarin after her company opened a Shanghai office.

Anjali 的公司在上海設辦公室後，她開始學普通話。

learn Mandarin

The station announcements switched from English to Mandarin before the train left.

列車開走前，站內廣播從英文切換成普通話。

switch from English to Mandarin

同義詞
  • Standard Chinese

    a more explanatory term often used in formal description

  • Putonghua

    the mainland Chinese name for the standard language

  • Guoyu

    a name used in Taiwan for the standard form of Chinese

文法句型

learn Mandarin

speak Mandarin

Mandarin class

用法筆記

This sense usually means the standard spoken form used in schools, media, and official settings, not every Chinese variety such as Cantonese or Hokkien.

常見錯誤

❌My grandmother speaks Mandarin dialect.
✅My grandmother speaks Mandarin.
💡Mandarin is already the language name, so dialect is usually unnecessary here.

3. a senior state official, especially one in imperial China or in a powerful burea

3.名詞C1
釋義

高官

尤指舊時中國的權勢官員

a senior state official, especially one in imperial China or in a powerful bureaucracy

例句

Court mandarins argued over tax rules before the emperor arrived.

皇帝到來前，朝廷高官們正在爭論稅制。

court mandarins

The memo was written for senior mandarins in the finance ministry.

這份備忘錄是寫給財政部的資深高官看的。

senior mandarins in

同義詞
  • bureaucrat

    a broader word for an official working within a large administrative system

  • official

    a neutral general term without the same historical or critical tone

  • functionary

    more formal and often suggests a narrow, procedural role

文法句型

senior mandarins

party mandarins

civil service mandarins

用法筆記

Often used critically in modern English for officials seen as remote or overly powerful, not just as a neutral historical title.

常見錯誤

❌The office hired a mandarin yesterday.
✅The office hired a civil servant yesterday.
💡mandarin suggests a very senior or influential official, not any government worker.

4. a respected and influential figure in the arts, writing, or other intellectual l

4.名詞C2
釋義

文化權威

在藝文或學術圈有影響力的人

a respected and influential figure in the arts, writing, or other intellectual life

例句

Newspaper mandarins dismissed the young poet before her first book sold.

那群報界文化權威在年輕詩人的第一本書熱賣前就否定了她。

newspaper mandarins

The festival invited several literary mandarins to judge the final prize.

影展邀請了幾位文壇文化權威來評最後獎項。

literary mandarins

同義詞
  • arbiter

    stresses the power to judge what counts as good or important

  • gatekeeper

    highlights control over who gets access or recognition

  • tastemaker

    focuses more on shaping public preference and fashion

文法句型

literary mandarins

art mandarins

a mandarin of criticism

用法筆記

Usually appears in journalism or criticism. It often suggests a gatekeeper who helps decide whose work gets attention.

常見錯誤

❌She is a mandarin teacher in the city library.
✅She is a cultural mandarin in the theatre world.
💡this sense means an influential figure, not a language teacher.

mandarin — 形容詞