martyrdom
/ˈmɑːtədəm/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈmɑːrtərdəm/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈmär-tər-dəm/ (ame, mw)
martyrdom — 名詞
1. the act of being killed or made to suffer severely because you refuse to give up
殉道；殉難
因堅守信仰或政治理念而被殺或受苦
the act of being killed or made to suffer severely because you refuse to give up your faith, political views, or moral principles
Kwame's grandfather died a martyrdom for advocating peaceful protest against the regime.
Kwame 的祖父因提倡和平抗議政權而遭受殉難。
martyrdom + for + [cause/action]
The early Christian church honored those who faced martyrdom rather than renounce their beliefs.
早期的基督教會尊崇那些寧可面對殉道也不願放棄信仰的人。
face martyrdom — collocation for confronting death
Many people throughout history have chosen martyrdom over life under an oppressive system.
歷史上許多人寧可選擇殉道，也不願在壓迫體制下苟活。
Fatima wrote a book about women who achieved martyrdom while fighting for education rights in their country.
Fatima 寫了一本書，講述那些在國內爭取教育權而殉難的女性。
- sacrifice
broader — any giving up of something valued, not necessarily one's life
- self-sacrifice
emphasizes voluntary giving up of one's own interests or life
- immolation
more formal and dramatic; often literal self-burning
- apostasy
the act of abandoning one's faith or principles — the opposite of dying for them
文法句型
martyrdom + for + [belief/cause]
用法筆記
Often used in historical or religious contexts. Can be used as both countable ('a martyrdom') and uncountable ('the threat of martyrdom') — the countable form emphasizes one specific event.
常見錯誤
2. a long period of great hardship, anguish, or torment, especially one that feels
煎熬；折磨
長期且巨大的痛苦或苦難
a long period of great hardship, anguish, or torment, especially one that feels unfairly imposed
Theo described his years in the refugee camp as a martyrdom he would never wish upon anyone.
Theo 形容他在難民營的那幾年是一場他不願任何人經歷的煎熬。
describe [experience] as a martyrdom — simile pattern
Elena endured the martyrdom of caring for her ailing mother day and night for three years.
Elena 承受了長達三年日夜照顧生病母親的折磨。
endure a/the martyrdom of + [difficult situation]
The newspaper called the miners' slow rescue a martyrdom that captured the whole nation's attention.
該報形容礦工們緩慢的救援過程為一場折磨，吸引了全國的關注。
Living with a rare disease that doctors could not diagnose became a daily martyrdom for Arun and his family.
罹患一種醫生無法診斷的罕見疾病，對 Arun 及其家人來說成了一種日常的煎熬。
- ordeal
neutral — a difficult experience, without the religious or moral dimension
- torment
emphasizes mental or physical agony more than duration
- tribulation
formal and often biblical; a serious difficulty or hardship
文法句型
martyrdom + of + [prolonged experience]
用法筆記
This sense is metaphorical — it extends the religious concept of martyrdom to any prolonged ordeal. It is more common in literary or journalistic writing than in everyday speech.