If something is ephemeral, it is here for only a short time — a fashion, a hit song, a trend on a phone, a mayfly, a rainbow.

if something is ephemeral如果某樣東西是短暫的，it is here for only a short time它存在的時間就只有短短一下子——像a fashion流行、a hit song熱門歌曲、a trend on a phone手機上的一時風潮、a mayfly蜉蝣、a rainbow彩虹。

The word is not automatically unkind; it can be sad, or tender, or simply true. Though actually, the Greek pieces mean “for a day”, so the first picture is “lasting a day”, and English stretched it to “lasting a little while”.

The word這個詞 is not automatically不會自動 unkind帶有負面意味；it can be sad它可以是悲傷的、or tender或溫柔的、or simply true或只是單純寫實的。Though actually不過其實，the Greek pieces希臘字根mean的意思是「for a day一天」，so the first picture所以最初的畫面is lasting a day是「只維持一天」，and English而英文stretched it to把它延伸成「lasting a little while只維持一小段時間」。

You will meet it in books and careful talk more than in the schoolyard.

more than in the schoolyard比起在校園裡, in books and careful talk在書本和講究用字的談話中 you will meet it你更常遇到這個詞。

It can be an adjective, and (more rarely) a noun for a short-lived thing, especially a plant or insect that lives only a day. Do not mix it up with eternal, which is the opposite, or with ephemera, the usual noun for short-lived everyday bits, especially paper.

It can be an adjective它可以當形容詞，and (more rarely)也可以（比較少見地） a noun當名詞 for a short-lived thing指壽命很短的東西，especially尤其是 a plant or insect that lives only a day只能活一天的植物或昆蟲。Do not mix it up with eternal不要把它跟eternal永恆的搞混，which is the opposite那是意思相反的詞，or with ephemera也不要跟ephemera（另一個字）搞混，the usual noun for short-lived everyday bits那是指壽命短、日常小東西的常見名詞，especially paper尤其是紙類。