A crucible is a small, tough pot made of material that can stand fierce heat — fire-clay, special ceramic, or certain metals. You put a substance in it and heat it until it melts or changes: chemists, metal workers, and jewellers all use one. An ordinary kitchen pot would crack or melt; that is the whole point of a crucible. In a lab it often sits in a little clay triangle on a stand, with a burner underneath.

A crucible is a small, tough pot made of material that can stand fierce heat Crucible是一種小型、耐用的容器，用能夠承受高溫的材質做成 — fire-clay, special ceramic, or certain metals耐火黏土、特殊陶瓷，或某些金屬. You put a substance in it and heat it until it melts or changes你把東西放進去加熱，直到它熔化或起變化: chemists, metal workers, and jewellers all use one化學家、金屬工匠和珠寶師都會用到它. An ordinary kitchen pot would crack or melt普通的廚房鍋子遇到這種高溫會裂開或融化; that is the whole point of a crucible這正是crucible存在的意義. In a lab it often sits in a little clay triangle on a stand在實驗室裡，它通常放在架子上的一個小陶土三角架上, with a burner underneath底下有個燃燒器.

Though actually, English also stretches the word. Writers call a war, a hard school, or a painful year “a crucible” — a place of heat that tests you and changes you, the way fire changes metal. There is a famous play called The Crucible that uses that picture.

Though actually不過, English also stretches the word英文也會延伸這個字的用法. Writers call a war, a hard school, or a painful year "a crucible"作家會用『a crucible』來形容一場戰爭、一段艱苦的學習，或一段痛苦的歲月 — a place of heat that tests you and changes you一個用高溫考驗你、改變你的地方, the way fire changes metal就像火會改變金屬一樣. There is a famous play called The Crucible有一齣有名的劇作叫做《The Crucible》 that uses that picture用的就是這個意象.

In a science class, though, the word still means the little pot. It is a formal, slightly technical noun.

In a science class, though不過在自然課裡, the word still means the little pot這個字指的還是那個小容器. It is a formal, slightly technical noun這是個正式、帶點技術性的名詞.