A sorority is a women's social club at an American university. Members usually live together in a large house, choose new members through a selection process each year (called rush), use Greek letters as their name — Kappa Delta, Alpha Phi — and run parties, charity events and lifelong networks of contacts.

A sorority is a women's social club sorority 是一種女生的社交社團 at an American university在美國大學裡。Members usually live together成員通常住在一起 in a large house住在一棟大房子裡, choose new members每年會挑選新成員 through a selection process each year透過一套選拔流程 (called rush)（叫做 rush）, use Greek letters as their name用希臘字母當名字 — Kappa Delta, Alpha Phi像 Kappa Delta、Alpha Phi — and run parties, charity events and lifelong networks of contacts還會辦派對、慈善活動，並建立一輩子的人脈網路。

The male equivalent is a fraternity. This is a strongly American thing; British and Taiwanese universities do not have them, which is why English textbooks outside America rarely explain the word, and why so many films assume you already understand it.

The male equivalent is a fraternity男生對應的叫 fraternity（兄弟會）。This is a strongly American thing這是很美國特有的東西; British and Taiwanese universities do not have them英國和台灣的大學都沒有這種東西, which is why English textbooks outside America rarely explain the word這也是為什麼美國以外的英文課本很少解釋這個字, and why so many films assume you already understand it也是為什麼很多電影都預設你已經懂了。

The picture in American culture is mixed: for some people a sorority means real friendship and a network that helps you get a job twenty years later, and for others it means money, exclusion, and drinking. Films play on both.

The picture in American culture is mixed美國文化裡對它的印象很兩極: for some people a sorority means real friendship對有些人來說 sorority 代表真正的友誼 and a network that helps you get a job twenty years later還有二十年後能幫你找到工作的人脈, and for others it means money, exclusion, and drinking對另一些人來說它代表的是金錢、排擠和喝酒。Films play on both電影兩種印象都會拿來發揮。

There is also a second, much rarer use — sorority meaning sisterhood in a serious sense, women standing together — but you will meet that mainly in writing about feminism, not in ordinary speech.

There is also a second, much rarer use還有第二種少見很多的用法 — sorority meaning sisterhood in a serious sense sorority 用來指認真意義上的姐妹情誼, women standing together女性團結站在一起 — but you will meet that mainly in writing about feminism不過你主要會在寫女性主義的文章裡遇到這個用法, not in ordinary speech日常說話不太會這樣用。