pious
/ˈpaɪəs/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈpaɪəs/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈpī-əs/ (ame, mw)
pious — 形容詞
- piouspositive
- more piouscomparative
- most pioussuperlative
1. Showing sincere and strong belief in a religion, especially through actions such
虔誠的
對宗教信仰真誠並嚴格遵守教義的
Showing sincere and strong belief in a religion, especially through actions such as regular worship, prayer, and moral living.
The pious old woman recited prayers at dawn each morning before opening her small bakery.
那位虔誠的老婦人每天清晨誦讀禱告文後，才打開她的小麵包店。
pious + religious practice (prayer, worship)
Kwame grew up in a pious family that observed every religious holiday with great care and generosity.
Kwame 在一個虔誠的家庭長大，他們非常用心且慷慨地慶祝每一個宗教節日。
Many pious pilgrims walked for days to reach the temple at the top of the mountain.
許多虔誠的朝聖者步行數日，才抵達山頂的寺廟。
Clara's pious devotion to charity work was well known throughout the neighbourhood.
她對慈善工作虔誠的奉獻在整個社區都很有名。
Diego comes from a pious community where prayer and study are part of daily life.
Diego 來自一個虔誠的社區，祈禱和研讀是日常生活中的一部分。
- devout
Focuses on personal faithfulness and commitment to religious practice; slightly warmer and more natural in everyday English than 'pious'.
- religious
A broader, neutral term; does not carry the strength of active devotion that 'pious' implies.
- godly
Emphasises living according to God's will; more common in Christian contexts and has an old-fashioned feel.
- irreligious
Describes someone who shows no interest in religion or rejects it.
- impious
Specifically means lacking respect for God or religion; a direct opposite.
用法筆記
Neutral or positive in tone. The person genuinely follows their faith through visible actions. Distinguish from Sense 2, which is always disapproving.
常見錯誤
2. Behaving as if one is very religious or morally good while not being sincere — d
偽善的
假裝虔誠或道德以博取他人好感的
Behaving as if one is very religious or morally good while not being sincere — done to impress others or gain approval.
The politician's pious talk about family values did not match his scandalous private life.
那位政客關於家庭價值的偽善言論，與他醜聞纏身的私生活完全不符。
disapproving context: pious talk vs. private scandal
Omar could not stand his pious colleague who lectured everyone but broke every rule himself.
Omar 受不了他那偽善的同事，對方總是指責別人，自己卻違反每一條規定。
contrasts words and actions
Fatima saw through his pious expressions of sympathy — he was simply fishing for votes.
Fatima 看穿了他那些偽善的同情話語——他只是為了拉票而已。
The company made pious claims about protecting the environment, yet they were caught dumping chemicals into the river.
該公司發表了關於環保的偽善宣言，卻被抓到將化學廢料倒入河裡。
Wei wore a pious expression during the funeral, but he had not spoken to the deceased in years.
Wei 在葬禮上擺出一副偽善的表情，但他已經好幾年沒跟死者說過話了。
- sanctimonious
Stronger and more formal than 'pious'; emphasises the irritating, self-righteous tone of the person.
- hypocritical
Focuses on the gap between stated beliefs and actual behaviour; a more general term not limited to religion.
- holier-than-thou
Informal and vivid; describes someone who acts as if they are morally superior to others.
- sincere
Describes genuine feelings and honest behaviour, the opposite of pretending.
用法筆記
Always disapproving. The insincerity is the core of this sense — the person's behaviour looks good on the surface but their real actions or motives are the opposite. Commonly used with nouns like 'talk', 'claims', 'expressions', 'attitude'.
常見錯誤
3. Used before words like 'hope' or 'wish' to describe something you very much want
渺茫的
願望幾乎不可能實現的（修飾希望、夢想）
Used before words like 'hope' or 'wish' to describe something you very much want but that almost certainly will not happen.
After the star player's injury, the team's chance of winning was little more than a pious hope.
明星球員受傷後，這支球隊的勝算頂多只能算是渺茫的希望。
fixed expression: pious hope
Calling it a plan would be generous — it was really just a pious wish with no budget or staff.
說它是個計劃還太客氣了——那根本只是一個沒有預算也沒有人力的渺茫願望。
The government's promise to end child poverty remains a pious hope for millions of struggling families.
對數百萬個貧困家庭來說，政府消除兒童貧窮的承諾仍然是個渺茫的希望。
Grandpa clung to the pious hope that the storm would turn away before reaching the coastal villages.
老阿公緊抱著一個渺茫的希望，認為暴風雨在抵達沿海村莊前會轉向。
Anna dismissed the project proposal as a pious dream that no one would ever pay for.
Anna 認為那個專案提案只是個沒有人願意出錢的渺茫夢想。
- vain
Used similarly before 'hope' (e.g., 'vain hope'), meaning a hope that will not succeed; 'vain' is slightly more literary.
- forlorn
Describes a hope that is both unlikely and desperate; emphasises sadness rather than impracticality.
- unrealistic
A direct, neutral term for something that is not likely to happen; lacks the formal tone of 'pious'.
- realistic
Describes a goal or expectation that is achievable.
- achievable
Describes something that can be done with reasonable effort.
文法句型
pious + hope / wish / desire / dream
用法筆記
Appears almost exclusively before nouns like 'hope', 'wish', 'desire', or 'dream'. Not used on its own to describe people. The phrase 'pious hope' is the most common fixed expression.