In science, entropy is a way of talking about lack of order in a system — and about the idea that this lack of order tends to grow as time passes.

In science在科學上，entropy is a way of talking about lack of order in a systementropy（熵）是一種說法，用來講一個系統裡缺乏秩序的程度——and about the idea that this lack of order tends to grow as time passes也講這種缺乏秩序的情況會隨著時間過去而增加這個想法。

Energy spreads out. A hot drink cools. Ink in water mixes and does not unmix itself. In a closed system, things do not tidy themselves; they drift toward a more mixed, less useful state.

Energy spreads out能量會擴散開來。A hot drink cools熱飲會變涼。Ink in water mixes水裡的墨水會混在一起 and does not unmix itself而且不會自己再分開。In a closed system在一個封閉系統裡，things do not tidy themselves東西不會自己變整齊；they drift toward a more mixed, less useful state它們會往更混亂、更沒用的狀態飄過去。

That is the home of the word, in physics, and later also in the study of information (how mixed or uncertain a message is).

That is the home of the word這就是這個字原本的家，in physics在物理學裡；and later also in the study of information後來也進入了資訊研究的領域（how mixed or uncertain a message is一個訊息有多混亂、多不確定）。

Outside science, writers borrow it to mean “everything is sliding into a mess” — a room, a company, a country. That loose use is common in essays, but it is a borrowing. The careful meaning is a measured one, not just a fancy synonym for chaos.

Outside science在科學之外，writers borrow it to mean “everything is sliding into a mess”作者會借用這個字，來表示「一切都在往混亂裡滑落」——a room, a company, a country一個房間、一間公司、一個國家。That loose use is common in essays這種鬆散的用法在文章裡很常見，but it is a borrowing但它是借來的。The careful meaning is a measured one精確的意思是一個可以被測量的東西，not just a fancy synonym for chaos不只是「混亂」這個字比較花俏的說法。

The word was coined in German in the 1860s to sit next to energy.

The word was coined in German這個字是用德文創造出來的，in the 1860s在十九世紀六零年代，to sit next to energy為了和「能量」這個字放在一起用。