Colonialism is the system in which one country takes control of another land, sends its own people there, rules the local people, and uses the land’s money, crops, or power. The home country does the colonizing; the place it controls is the colony.

Colonialism is the systemColonialism（殖民主義）指的是一種制度， in which one country takes control of another land一個國家控制另一塊土地、 sends its own people there把自己的人民送過去、 rules the local people統治當地人、 and uses the land’s money, crops, or power並利用那塊土地的財富、作物或權力。 The home country does the colonizing進行殖民的一方叫home country（母國）； the place it controls is the colony它控制的地方叫colony（殖民地）。

This is a school-and-news word, a little formal. You meet it in history, in politics, and in arguments about the past and what still follows from it.

This is a school-and-news word, a little formal這是個學校和新聞常用的字，有點正式。 You meet it in history, in politics你會在歷史、政治裡遇到它， and in arguments about the past and what still follows from it也會在討論過去、以及過去至今仍有什麼影響的爭論裡遇到它。

In today’s English it almost always sounds critical: people who use it are usually saying the system was unfair, violent, or still leaves damage. Older books may talk about “the colonial period” in a colder, more matter-of-fact way, without the -ism.

In today’s English it almost always sounds critical在現在的英文裡，這個字幾乎都帶著批判的語氣： people who use it are usually saying用這個字的人，通常是在說 the system was unfair, violent, or still leaves damage這個制度不公平、暴力，或至今仍留下傷害。 Older books may talk about “the colonial period”比較舊的書可能會講「the colonial period」（殖民時期） in a colder, more matter-of-fact way, without the -ism，用比較冷靜、就事論事的方式來說，不加-ism。

People also stretch it. Writers speak of cultural colonialism or a new colonialism when they mean control that is not a classic overseas empire. That stretch is common in essays; it is looser than the history-book sense.

People also stretch it人們也會把這個字用得更寬。 Writers speak of cultural colonialism or a new colonialism作家會講cultural colonialism（文化殖民主義）或a new colonialism（新殖民主義）， when they mean control that is not a classic overseas empire指的是那種不是傳統海外帝國式的控制。 That stretch is common in essays這種引申用法在文章裡很常見； it is looser than the history-book sense比歷史課本裡的用法更鬆散一點。

A colony is a place. Colonialism is the system. A colonist is a person who goes to live there. Those are related, not the same word.

A colony is a placeA colony（殖民地）是一個地方。 Colonialism is the systemColonialism（殖民主義）是一套制度。 A colonist is a person who goes to live thereA colonist（殖民者）是去那裡定居的人。 Those are related, not the same word這三個字有關係，但不是同一個字。