token
token — 形容詞
- tokenpositive
- more tokencomparative
- most tokensuperlative
1. done or given mainly as a visible symbol of support, kindness, or intention, whi
象徵性的
僅具象徵意義而實質微小的
done or given mainly as a visible symbol of support, kindness, or intention, while the actual amount, effort, or effect stays very small
The company offered a token payment of fifty dollars to each volunteer.
公司向每位志工支付了五十美元的象徵性報酬。
attributive: token + payment
Niran received a token gift from the committee as a thank-you for his years of service.
Niran 從委員會收到一份象徵性禮物，感謝他多年來的服務。
Critics argued that the one-hour meeting was merely a token consultation with no real decision-making power.
批評者指出，那個一小時的會議只是象徵性的諮詢，沒有任何實質決策權。
The management made a token reduction in prices, but most customers noticed little difference.
管理層象徵性地調降了價格，但大多數顧客幾乎感覺不到差異。
- symbolic
wider meaning; 'token' suggests the symbol is deliberately small or insufficient
- nominal
usually describes a very small fee or amount; 'nominal' focuses on cheapness, 'token' on symbolism
- perfunctory
implies the action is done mechanically, without care; 'token' is about small scale rather than lack of care
- substantial
a real, meaningful amount or effort
文法句型
token + noun (used before a noun)
用法筆記
Attributive only — this sense always appears before a noun (a token payment, a token gesture). Cannot be used predicatively (*the payment was token).
常見錯誤
2. used to describe a person or thing that is chosen or included just to create the
裝樣子的
表面包容而無實質改變的
used to describe a person or thing that is chosen or included just to create the false impression that a group or organisation treats everyone equally, without making any real change to its practices
The board appointed one woman as a token female member but continued to exclude women from real leadership roles.
董事會任命了一位女性作為裝樣子的女性成員，但實際上仍然將女性排除在真正的領導職位之外。
token + ethnic/noun for person from under-represented group
Ezra criticised the committee for choosing a token representative from the local community without giving that person any real authority.
Ezra 批評委員會挑選了一名裝樣子的社區代表，卻沒有賦予這個人任何實質權力。
Including two students on the panel felt like a token nod to youth voices rather than genuine listening.
邀請兩位學生加入小組，感覺像是裝樣子地重視年輕人的聲音，而非真正的聆聽。
The company hired a token minority employee but did nothing to change its workplace culture.
該公司雇用了一位裝樣子的少數族裔員工，但完全沒有改變其職場文化。
- cosmetic
focuses on surface appearance rather than substance; 'token' specifically involves under-represented groups
- superficial
general lack of depth; 'token' has the specific social-justice context
- symbolic
neutral; 'token' in this sense is critical, accusing the actor of insincerity
- genuine
real, not just for show
- meaningful
having real substance and effect
文法句型
token + noun (referring to a person or group)
用法筆記
Always attributive. This sense carries a strong negative connotation — it accuses the subject of insincere diversity or inclusion efforts. Distinguish from sense 1 (SYMBOLIC GESTURE), which describes small effort in general, not specifically about representation.
常見錯誤
token — 名詞
- tokensingular
- tokensplural
1. an object, action, or gift that visibly represents a person's feelings, intentio
象徵；表徵
表達感受或意圖的事物
an object, action, or gift that visibly represents a person's feelings, intentions, or status, even if it has little practical or material value
Lakshmi gave her friend a small bracelet as a token of their lifelong friendship.
Lakshmi 送給朋友一條小手環，作為她們終身友誼的象徵。
collocation: a token of [friendship/gratitude/appreciation]
The bouquet of flowers was a token of apology after Hamza accidentally broke his neighbour's window.
這束花是 Hamza 不小心打破鄰居窗戶後表達歉意的象徵。
Wearing a black armband is often used as a token of mourning in many cultures around the world.
佩戴黑紗在世界許多文化中常被用作哀悼的象徵。
Andrew kept the old concert ticket as a token of the night he first met his wife.
Andrew 一直保留著那張舊演唱會門票，作為他第一次遇見妻子那晚的表徵。
- symbol
broader; any object that stands for something; 'token' often carries a personal or emotional nuance
- sign
more general; 'token' implies an object or action, while 'sign' can be abstract
- mark
often used in 'mark of respect'; similar meaning but less concrete as an object
- emblem
more formal and often refers to a visual design rather than an action
文法句型
token + of + noun phrase
用法筆記
Most common in the phrase 'as a token of' followed by an abstract noun (gratitude, appreciation, respect, apology). 'Token' in this sense is almost always singular and preceded by 'a'.
常見錯誤
2. a slip of paper, a plastic card, or a digital code purchased ahead and then used
禮券；代金券
可折抵特定金額的購物憑證
a slip of paper, a plastic card, or a digital code purchased ahead and then used in exchange for goods or services worth a set value
Gabriel received a twenty-pound book token for his birthday and spent it the same weekend.
Gabriel 生日時收到一張二十英鎊的書券，當週末就把它用掉了。
British usage: gift token / book token / record token
The supermarket hands out petrol tokens when customers spend over a certain amount.
這家超市會在顧客消費超過一定金額時發放加油券。
Élise traded her loyalty points for a shopping token worth fifty euros at the store.
Élise 用會員點數兌換了一張價值五十歐元的百貨公司禮券。
Most online retailers now offer digital gift tokens that arrive by email within minutes of purchase.
現在大多數線上零售商都提供數位禮券，購買後幾分鐘內就會寄到電子郵件。
文法句型
token + for + amount
buy / redeem / exchange a token
用法筆記
Chiefly British English. In American English, 'gift card' or 'gift certificate' is more common. 'Token' in this sense was historically a paper voucher; modern usage includes plastic cards and digital codes.
常見錯誤
3. a small round object, typically metallic or plastic, that operates arcade games,
代幣；籌碼
代替硬幣使用的圓形金屬或塑膠片
a small round object, typically metallic or plastic, that operates arcade games, parking meters, or subway gates in place of coins
Daichi fed three tokens into the arcade machine before he finally won the jackpot.
Daichi 在電動遊樂場的機台裡投了三枚代幣，才終於中了頭獎。
London Underground once used metal tokens for access before the Oyster card replaced them.
倫敦地鐵曾經使用金屬代幣進站，後來被 Oyster 卡取代。
collocation: subway token / arcade token / parking token
At the laundromat visitors buy plastic tokens from a machine before the wash cycle starts.
在自助洗衣店，顧客先從機器購買塑膠代幣，洗衣機才會啟動。
Camila dropped her last token into the vending machine, but the snack got stuck.
Camila 把最後一枚代幣投入自動販賣機，但零食卡住了。
文法句型
token + for + machine/purpose
用法筆記
Increasingly rare in daily life as cities switch to contactless cards and smartphone payments. Still encountered in arcades, older parking systems, and some tourist attractions. 'Token' (noun 3) is distinct from 'token' (noun 2) in that it is used directly as payment, not exchanged for goods.
常見錯誤
4. a piece of digital data that stands in for sensitive information, used to verify
令碼；權杖
用於驗證身份或保護資料的數位代碼
a piece of digital data that stands in for sensitive information, used to verify a user's identity or protect private details during online transactions
The banking app sends a one-time token to your phone each time you log in from a new device.
每次從新裝置登入時，銀行應用程式都會發送一組一次性令碼到你的手機。
collocation: one-time security token / authentication token
Yasmin uses a small device that generates a fresh token every thirty seconds for her work computer.
Yasmin 使用一個小型裝置，每三十秒為她的工作電腦產生一組新的令碼。
When you pay online with a credit card, the merchant receives a token instead of your card number.
當你線上使用信用卡付款時，商家收到的是一組令碼，而不是你的卡號。
The IT department issued every employee a hardware token to access the company's internal network remotely.
IT 部門為每位員工配發了一台硬體權杖，以便遠端存取公司的內部網路。
- key
wider term in cryptography; 'token' often implies a hardware device or temporary code
- credential
any piece of identifying information; a token is one type of credential
- dongle
a specific physical device, usually USB-based; 'token' can be physical OR digital
文法句型
authentication token
security token
token-based + noun
用法筆記
Often appears in compound nouns: 'security token', 'authentication token', 'hardware token'. In tokenisation (payment security), a 'token' replaces real credit-card numbers. Distinguish from cryptocurrency token (a digital asset on a blockchain) — this sense focuses on security, not investment.
常見錯誤
5. a single occurrence of a word or other meaningful unit found in a particular pie
詞例；記號
文本中出現的單一語言單位
a single occurrence of a word or other meaningful unit found in a particular piece of speech or writing, used for counting or analysis
The researcher counted forty-seven thousand word tokens in the children's story collection.
研究人員在那本兒童故事集中計算出四萬七千個詞例。
collocation: word token / token count
In the sentence 'the cat chased the mouse', the word 'the' appears as two separate tokens.
在句子『the cat chased the mouse』中，『the』這個字出現了兩個詞例。
token vs type: same word can appear as multiple tokens
Mathieu's language analysis software breaks each sentence down into individual tokens for processing.
Mathieu 的語言分析軟體會將每個句子拆解成個別的詞例進行處理。
A high ratio of unique word types to total tokens usually indicates a richer vocabulary in the text.
不重複詞型與總詞例的比值越高，通常表示該文本的詞彙越豐富。
- occurrence
broader term; 'token' is the standard term in linguistics and NLP
- instance
general; 'linguistic token' is the precise term in the field
- type
the unique word form rather than each occurrence
文法句型
word token
token count
per token
用法筆記
Commonly contrasted with 'type': a 'type' is a unique word form, while a 'token' is each instance. For example, in 'run, ran, run', there are three tokens but two types ('run' appears twice as two tokens). This distinction is important in linguistics and text analysis. Also used in large language models where text is tokenised into subword units.
常見錯誤
6. a physical object kept because it reminds the owner of a particular person, plac
紀念品；信物
因情感意義而保留的物品
a physical object kept because it reminds the owner of a particular person, place, or past event, valued for its emotional meaning rather than its monetary worth
Haruto still carries the pocket watch his grandfather gave him as a token of their time together.
Haruto 仍然隨身攜帶著祖父送他的懷錶，作為他們相處時光的信物。
a token of + sentimental connection
The postcards her aunt sent from Paris became treasured tokens of a childhood dream of travel.
她阿姨從巴黎寄來的明信片，成了她童年旅行夢想的珍貴紀念品。
Niran kept a stone from the beach where he proposed as a personal token of that happy day.
Niran 保留了求婚海灘上的一塊石頭，作為那幸福一天的個人信物。
The worn theatre programme was one of the few tokens Ezra had from his acting years.
那本破舊的劇院節目表是 Ezra 演員生涯中僅存的少數紀念品之一。
- keepsake
very similar; 'keepsake' always implies a physical object kept for memory, while 'token' can be an action
- souvenir
usually bought while visiting a place; 'token' can be any object linked to a memory
- memento
more formal; strongly associated with remembering a person or event
- reminder
abstract or concrete; 'token' implies the item was intentionally kept
文法句型
a token of + person/place/event
用法筆記
Overlaps semantically with sense 1 (SYMBOL OF FEELING), but sense 6 emphasises physical objects kept as personal keepsakes rather than actions or gifts given to others. 'Souvenir' is more about a place visited; 'keepsake' and 'token' in this sense focus on emotional associations.