Sepsis is a doctor's word for when infection makes the body go badly wrong. In older, simpler use — the one many learner books still print — it means an infection in a part of the body that produces pus: the flesh in that spot is going bad.

SepsisSepsis（敗血症） is a doctor's word for when infection makes the body go badly wrong是醫生用來說「感染讓身體整個出大問題」的字。In older, simpler use — the one many learner books still print在比較舊、比較簡單的用法裡——也就是很多學習用書還在印的那個意思——it means an infection in a part of the body that produces pus它是指身體某個部位感染化膿：the flesh in that spot is going bad那個地方的組織正在壞掉。

In hospitals today, doctors almost always mean something larger and more frightening. The infection has set off a reaction in the whole body. The body starts to harm its own organs; blood pressure may fall; people can die. News reports (“he died of sepsis”) mean this emergency, not a little pus in a cut.

In hospitals today, doctors almost always mean something larger and more frightening在今天的醫院裡，醫生講這個字幾乎都是指更嚴重、更可怕的狀況。The infection has set off a reaction in the whole body感染已經引發了全身性的反應。The body starts to harm its own organs身體開始傷害自己的器官；blood pressure may fall血壓可能下降；people can die人可能因此死亡。News reports ("he died of sepsis") mean this emergency新聞報導說「他死於 sepsis」，指的就是這種緊急狀況，not a little pus in a cut不是傷口裡的一點點膿。

Ordinary English has no soft everyday synonym. People sometimes say the infection spread, or blood poisoning, which sits closer to septicaemia.

Ordinary English has no soft everyday synonym一般英文裡沒有比較溫和的日常同義詞。People sometimes say the infection spread, or blood poisoning人們有時候會說感染擴散了，或是說 blood poisoning（血液中毒），which sits closer to septicaemia這個講法比較接近 septicaemia。

Though actually, doctors argue about the exact border between a local infection, sepsis, and septicaemia — the tidy dictionary line is tidier than the hospital ward.

Though actually, doctors argue about the exact border between a local infection, sepsis, and septicaemia不過其實，醫生們對局部感染、sepsis 和 septicaemia 之間確切的界線也有爭論——the tidy dictionary line is tidier than the hospital ward字典上劃的整齊界線，比醫院病房裡的實際狀況整齊多了。