A small brown-and-grey bird, about the size of your hand, that lives close to people. Sparrows are one of the most common birds in the world — you see them on the street, on rooftops, hopping around outside restaurants looking for dropped food.

A small brown-and-grey bird一種棕灰色的小鳥, about the size of your hand大概手掌大小, that lives close to people住得離人很近. Sparrows麻雀 are one of the most common birds in the world是世界上最常見的鳥類之一 — you see them on the street, on rooftops你會在街上、屋頂上看到牠們, hopping around outside restaurants looking for dropped food在餐廳外面跳來跳去找掉下來的食物.

They are not beautiful in the way a parrot is beautiful. They are plain, small, noisy, and everywhere.

They牠們 are not beautiful in the way a parrot is beautiful不像鸚鵡那樣漂亮. They牠們 are plain, small, noisy, and everywhere樸素、體型小、吵鬧，而且到處都是.

That plainness is part of what the word carries. When English speakers say 'sparrow' in a story or a poem, they usually mean something small and ordinary and easily overlooked — a life that nobody counts. There is a famous line in the Bible about God noticing even when one sparrow falls, and that line is the reason the word feels the way it does to many English speakers: tiny, cheap, but still seen.

That plainness這種樸素感 is part of what the word carries是這個字所帶的意思的一部分. When English speakers say 'sparrow' in a story or a poem當英語使用者在故事或詩裡說『sparrow』, they usually mean something small and ordinary and easily overlooked他們通常指的是某種渺小、平凡、容易被忽略的東西 — a life that nobody counts一條沒人在意的生命. There is a famous line in the Bible about God noticing even when one sparrow falls聖經裡有一句名句，說即使一隻麻雀掉下來，神也會注意到, and that line is the reason the word feels the way it does to many English speakers這句話就是為什麼這個字對很多英語使用者來說感覺是這樣: tiny, cheap, but still seen渺小、不值錢，但仍然被看見.

In everyday talk, though, it is just the bird. A person might say 'there were sparrows all over the balcony' and mean nothing more than that.

In everyday talk, though不過在日常說話裡, it is just the bird它就只是那種鳥而已. A person might say 'there were sparrows all over the balcony'有人可能會說『陽台上到處都是sparrow』 and mean nothing more than that意思也就僅止於此.

One more thing: English speakers are not careful bird-namers. Many small brown birds get called sparrows by ordinary people even when a bird expert would say they belong to a different family. If you hear someone point at a little brown bird and say 'sparrow', they may just mean 'small brown bird'.

One more thing還有一件事: English speakers are not careful bird-namers英語使用者對鳥類命名並不嚴謹. Many small brown birds get called sparrows by ordinary people很多棕色小鳥會被一般人叫做sparrow even when a bird expert would say they belong to a different family即使鳥類專家會說牠們其實屬於不同的科. If you hear someone point at a little brown bird and say 'sparrow'如果你聽到有人指著一隻棕色小鳥說『sparrow』, they may just mean 'small brown bird'他們可能只是在說『棕色小鳥』而已.