Fornication is the noun for sex between people who are not married to each other, said in a voice of strong disapproval. You meet it in the Bible, in old law, and in church talk; you do not meet it in kind everyday conversation about dating.

Fornicationfornication is the noun for sex between people who are not married to each other是名詞，指沒有結婚的人之間發生性行為, said in a voice of strong disapproval，說出來時帶著強烈的不贊同語氣。 You meet it in the Bible, in old law, and in church talk你會在聖經、舊時的法律、教會的談話裡遇到它; you do not meet it in kind everyday conversation about dating；但在日常聊感情、約會的對話裡不會用到。

The tidy picture in old teaching was: fornication for sex outside marriage, adultery when a marriage was already there. Though actually those borders were always messier in real life than in the rule-book, and modern speakers who need a neutral word say sex outside marriage or a plainer phrase instead.

The tidy picture in old teaching was舊時教導裡整齊的說法是: fornication for sex outside marriage：沒有結婚的性行為叫fornication, adultery when a marriage was already there，已經有婚姻卻出軌叫adultery(通姦)。 Though actually those borders were always messier in real life than in the rule-book不過其實，這條界線在現實生活裡一直比規則書上寫的混亂, and modern speakers who need a neutral word現代人如果需要中性一點的說法 say sex outside marriage or a plainer phrase instead會說「婚外性行為」或更直白的講法來代替。

When fornication is used now, the speaker is usually quoting an old moral world, prosecuting, or being ironic.

When fornication is used now現在如果有人用fornication這個字, the speaker is usually quoting an old moral world通常是在引用一個古老的道德世界, prosecuting、在打官司, or being ironic或是在說反話。

It names the act; the verb is fornicate. It is countable in law-like English (“an act of fornication”) but often uncountable as a sin-name.

It names the act它指的是這個行為本身; the verb is fornicate；動詞是fornicate。 It is countable in law-like English在偏法律的英文裡它是可數的 ("an act of fornication")（「an act of fornication一件淫行」） but often uncountable as a sin-name但當成罪名來說時常常是不可數的。