serial
/ˈsɪəriəl/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈsɪriəl/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈsir-ē-əl/ (ame, mw) · /ˈsɪə.ri.əl/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈsɪr.i.əl/ (ame, ipa)
serial — 形容詞
1. relates to someone who carries out the same type of harmful or illegal act again
連續犯罪的
反覆犯下同類罪行的
relates to someone who carries out the same type of harmful or illegal act again and again over a period — for example, a murderer who kills many victims one after another, or a thief who steals repeatedly.
Police arrested a serial killer who had attacked seven people over two years.
警方逮捕了一名連續殺人犯，他在兩年內攻擊了七個人。
serial + killer for multiple murders
Judges in many countries give harsher sentences to serial offenders who refuse to change.
許多國家的法官對拒絕改過的連續犯罪者判處更重的刑罰。
serial + offender for repeat criminals
A serial fraudster tricked dozens of elderly people out of their life savings.
一名連續詐欺犯從數十位老年人手中騙走了他們一生的積蓄。
Detectives studied the pattern of fires set by a serial arsonist over three years.
偵探研究了過去三年來一名連續縱火犯所引發火災的模式。
A witness helped police identify a serial shoplifter who stole from local stores.
一名證人協助警方辨識出一名在當地商店行竊的連續商店竊賊。
- repeat
more general, used for any repeated action without the criminal connotation (e.g. repeat customer, repeat performance)
- habitual
suggests a fixed pattern by force of habit, often with negative tone (e.g. habitual liar, habitual offender)
- chronic
emphasises long-standing, hard-to-break patterns, often used for addiction or illness rather than crime
- one-time
describes an act that happens only once, not repeatedly
文法句型
serial + noun (criminal/offender/killer)
用法筆記
Only used before a noun (attributive position). The noun that follows is almost always a type of criminal or a harmful act. Common examples: serial killer, serial offender, serial rapist, serial arsonist, serial fraudster. The sense does not extend to non-criminal repeated behaviour (e.g. a person who watches many movies is not a 'serial movie-watcher').
常見錯誤
2. broadcast or published as a set of separate parts that come out one after anothe
連載的
分多次播出或刊登的
broadcast or published as a set of separate parts that come out one after another — for example, a TV drama with a new episode each week, or a story printed across several magazine issues.
Liam watches a new serial drama every Tuesday night with his flatmates.
Liam 每週二晚上和室友一起看新的連載劇。
serial + drama for TV shows in episodes
The magazine ran the story in serial form across six issues last year.
去年這本雜誌以連載形式分六期刊登了這篇故事。
serial form for publication in instalments
Some classic novels first appeared as serial stories in nineteenth-century newspapers.
有些經典小說最初是在十九世紀的報紙上以連載故事的形式出現的。
When a novel is published in serial parts, readers wait a month for each chapter.
小說以連載方式出版時，讀者每個月都要等一章。
Rodrigo prefers serial podcasts because each episode ends with a clue about the next one.
Rodrigo 比較喜歡連載型 Podcast，因為每集結尾都會留下下一集的線索。
- episodic
focuses on the content being divided into episodes, more common for TV and podcasts
- serialised
specifically describes a work that has been turned into a serial format from a single original
- standalone
describes a work that is complete in one part, not needing a sequel or next episode
文法句型
serial + noun (drama/novel/publication/story)
用法筆記
Used attributively before nouns related to media content. The noun typically names a type of creative work: drama, story, novel, publication, podcast. Contrasts with 'standalone' or 'one-off', which describe works that are complete in a single part.
常見錯誤
3. describes a way of sending data through a single wire or channel, where each pie
序列的
每次傳送一個位元的
describes a way of sending data through a single wire or channel, where each piece of information travels one at a time in a line — for example, an older computer port that transmits data this way.
Older computer mice used a serial port at the back of the machine.
舊型電腦的滑鼠使用的是主機後方的序列埠。
serial + port for hardware connection
A serial cable sends one bit of data at a time through a single wire.
序列傳輸線每次透過一條線路傳送一個位元的資料。
serial cable transmits one bit at a time
Indra found an old serial connector in a box of parts at a garage sale.
Indra 在車庫拍賣的一盒零件中找到了一個舊的序列連接器。
The museum display showed a vintage computer with a serial port still attached.
博物館的展品中展示了一台仍附有序列埠的老式電腦。
Serial connections were common before USB technology became widely available.
在 USB 技術普及之前，序列連接裝置相當常見。
- sequential
broader term for any step-by-step process, not specific to computing hardware
- parallel
describes data transmission where multiple bits travel simultaneously through separate wires
文法句型
serial + noun (port/cable/connection/interface)
用法筆記
Technical computing term. The opposite concept is 'parallel', where multiple bits travel at the same time through separate wires. Modern computers rarely include serial ports, though the term is still used in networking and hardware specifications.
常見錯誤
4. placed in a specific order following a numbered system, usually for identificati
按順序的
依序排列以用於識別的
placed in a specific order following a numbered system, usually for identification purposes — for example, a product number that increases by one for each new item made.
Every product from this factory has a unique serial code printed on its bottom.
這家工廠生產的每樣產品底部都印有獨一無二的序號。
serial code for unique identification numbers
Eitan wrote down the serial number of his laptop in case it got stolen.
Eitan 記下了自己筆記型電腦的序號，以防被偷。
Banks record the serial number of each banknote when large sums are printed.
銀行在大量印製鈔票時，會記錄每張鈔票的序號。
New employees receive a serial ID number when they join the company.
新進員工加入公司時會收到一個序號式的員工編號。
The books on the library shelf are labelled with serial numbers from one to fifty.
圖書館書架上的書籍按照一號到五十號的順序貼有序號標籤。
- sequential
broader term meaning 'one after another', used for any ordered arrangement
- consecutive
emphasises that items follow each other without gaps (e.g. consecutive numbers 1, 2, 3)
- random
describes items that are not arranged in any fixed order
文法句型
serial + noun (number/code/order/ID)
用法筆記
Used before nouns that refer to identifiers or labels. The most common collocation is 'serial number', which identifies a single item uniquely. 'Serial code' and 'serial ID' are also frequent. This sense does not carry any criminal or media meaning — it simply means 'in a numbered sequence'.
常見錯誤
serial — 名詞
1. a story told in separate parts through television, radio, a newspaper, or a maga
連載作品
分集播出或刊登的故事
a story told in separate parts through television, radio, a newspaper, or a magazine — for example, a TV show whose story continues each week, or a novel printed in several parts of a magazine.
The TV serial has run for ten seasons and is still popular around the world.
這部電視連載作品已經播出了十季，在全球仍然很受歡迎。
TV serial for multi-season show
Sayaka enjoys reading a historical serial that appears in the weekend newspaper.
Sayaka 喜歡閱讀週末報紙上連載的歷史故事。
A popular radio serial from the 1950s was rebroadcast on public radio last month.
一部 1950 年代很受歡迎的廣播連載作品上個月在公共廣播電台重新播出。
The newspaper serial about the artist's early life won a national journalism award.
這份報紙上有關那位藝術家早年生活的連載故事贏得了全國新聞獎。
Lakshmi downloaded all episodes of the detective serial to watch on the flight.
Lakshmi 下載了那部偵探連載作品的所有集數，準備在飛機上觀看。
- series
more common in modern English for TV shows; a series can have multiple seasons while a serial typically has a planned number of parts
- miniseries
a short serial with a fixed, small number of episodes, often telling one complete story
文法句型
a/an + serial
the + serial
serial + about/of
用法筆記
A countable noun. In British English, 'serial' often refers to a TV or radio drama broadcast in episodes. In American English, 'series' is more common for TV, while 'serial' is used more for print stories. The term 'mini-serial' describes a short serial with only a few parts.
常見錯誤
2. a printed work like a journal or magazine that is released at fixed intervals, w
期刊
定期出版的學術刊物
a printed work like a journal or magazine that is released at fixed intervals, with its issues numbered in an ongoing sequence — for example, a medical journal published every three months.
The university library keeps a collection of academic serials on the third floor.
大學圖書館三樓收藏了一系列學術期刊。
academic serials for journals and periodicals
Medical serials publish new research papers every few months for doctors and scientists.
醫學期刊每隔幾個月就會刊登新的研究論文，供醫生和科學家閱讀。
The subscription to this scientific serial costs two hundred dollars for one year.
這套科學期刊的一年訂閱費用是兩百美元。
Librarians at Hamza's university check each week to see which new serials have arrived.
Hamza 大學的圖書館員每週都會查看有哪些新期刊已經送達。
Students must learn how to find and cite articles from serial publications for their research.
學生必須學會如何查找和引用期刊出版物上的文章來進行研究。
- periodical
more common in everyday use; refers to any publication that comes out at regular intervals
- journal
more specific, usually academic or professional; each issue contains articles by different contributors
- monograph
a single, self-contained book on one subject, not part of an ongoing series
文法句型
a/an + serial
academic serial
scientific serial
用法筆記
This is a formal, technical term used mostly in library science, academic publishing, and cataloguing contexts. In everyday conversation, 'journal', 'magazine', or 'periodical' are preferred. The key feature of a serial in this sense is that it continues indefinitely — unlike a book, it has no planned final issue.