Something inorganic is not made of living stuff, and did not come from plants, animals, or other living things. In science class this is the big split: organic chemistry looks at the carbon compounds life is built from; inorganic chemistry looks at the rest — rocks, metals, salts, water, many gases. A stone is inorganic; a leaf is not.

Something inorganicInorganic的東西 is not made of living stuff不是由有生命的物質組成的, and did not come from plants, animals, or other living things也不是來自植物、動物或其他生物。In science class在自然科課堂上 this is the big split這是一個很大的分類: organic chemistryorganic chemistry（有機化學） looks at the carbon compounds life is built from研究生命所構成的碳化合物; inorganic chemistryinorganic chemistry（無機化學） looks at the rest研究其餘的東西 — rocks, metals, salts, water, many gases岩石、金屬、鹽類、水、許多氣體。A stone石頭 is inorganic是inorganic的; a leaf is not葉子不是。

Though actually, chemists are both tidier and messier than that sentence. In the lab, “organic” mainly means “contains carbon,” even if nobody grew it, and a few carbon things still get called inorganic.

Though actually不過其實, chemists are both tidier and messier than that sentence化學家的分法比這句話說的既更整齊、也更混亂。In the lab在實驗室裡, "organic" mainly means "contains carbon,"「organic」主要的意思是「含碳」 even if nobody grew it就算沒有人種植過它也一樣, and a few carbon things still get called inorganic而有些含碳的東西還是被稱為inorganic。

Outside the lab, people also say inorganic fertilizer for the chemical kind you buy in a bag, as against compost and manure. Writers sometimes stretch it further, to mean “not grown naturally” — a team or a style that was put together, not born.

Outside the lab在實驗室之外, people also say inorganic fertilizer人們也會用inorganic fertilizer來稱呼 for the chemical kind you buy in a bag你在店裡買的那種化學肥料, as against compost and manure跟compost（堆肥）、manure（糞肥）相對。Writers作家 sometimes stretch it further有時候會把這個字用得更寬, to mean "not grown naturally"指「不是自然長成的」 — a team or a style that was put together像是一個團隊或一種風格，是被拼湊出來的, not born不是自然誕生的。

Shoppers talking about food usually say “not organic,” not “inorganic”; “inorganic apples” would sound odd. The word can also name the stuff itself: inorganics, meaning inorganic materials.

Shoppers talking about food消費者講食物的時候 usually say "not organic," not "inorganic"通常說「not organic（不是有機的）」，而不是「inorganic」; "inorganic apples" would sound odd「inorganic apples」聽起來會很奇怪。The word這個字 can also name the stuff itself也可以直接指稱這種物質本身: inorganicsinorganics, meaning inorganic materials意思是無機物質。