Depopulation is when a place ends up with far fewer people living in it. A village, a town, or a whole region can go through this.

Depopulation人口減少（depopulation） is when a place ends up with far fewer people living in it指一個地方最後住的人變得少很多。A village, a town, or a whole region一個村莊、一個城鎮，或整個地區 can go through this都可能發生這種情況。

Sometimes it is slow: young people leave the countryside for work in the city, fewer babies are born, and the streets grow quiet. Sometimes it is sudden, after a war, a famine, or when a government forces people to move.

Sometimes it is slow有時候這個過程很慢：young people leave the countryside for work in the city年輕人為了工作離開鄉下、搬到城市，fewer babies are born出生的小孩變少，and the streets grow quiet街道也漸漸變得冷清。Sometimes it is sudden有時候則來得很突然，after a war, a famine像是戰爭或飢荒之後，or when a government forces people to move或是政府強迫人民搬遷的時候。

The word is a noun — the name of that falling-off of people. The verb is depopulate, to empty a place of its people.

The word is a noun這個字是名詞 — the name of that falling-off of people用來稱呼人口減少這件事。The verb is depopulate動詞是depopulate，to empty a place of its people意思是讓一個地方失去它的人口。

You meet depopulation in news, geography, and government writing more than in chat; in everyday talk someone might just say the town is emptying out.

You meet depopulation你會遇到depopulation這個字 in news, geography, and government writing在新聞、地理，和政府文件裡，more than in chat比在閒聊時更常見；in everyday talk平常講話 someone might just say有人可能只會說 the town is emptying out這個城鎮的人越搬越少。

Though actually, the old Latin word had a harsher feel, closer to laying a place waste. In modern English it is usually cooler than that: it reports that the numbers went down, and does not by itself say whether anyone was hurt.

Though actually不過其實，the old Latin word這個字原本的拉丁文 had a harsher feel語氣比較重、比較狠，closer to laying a place waste比較接近「把一個地方摧毀成廢墟」的意思。In modern English在現代英語裡，it is usually cooler than that語氣通常比較平淡、沒那麼重：it reports that the numbers went down只是在陳述人數變少了，and does not by itself say whether anyone was hurt本身並不代表有沒有人因此受害。