A stairwell is the space — the tall empty shaft running up through a building's floors — that the stairs are built inside. This is the important difference for students: the staircase is the thing you walk on, the stairwell is the hole it lives in, walls and air and all.

A stairwell stairwell是is the space那個空間— the tall empty shaft那條高高的、空心的豎井running up貫穿through a building's floors整棟樓層的— that the stairs樓梯are built inside就蓋在裡面的；This這是is the important difference對學生來說重要的區別for students: the staircase樓梯本身（staircase）is是the thing你走上去的那個東西you walk on, the stairwell stairwell則是is the hole它所在的那個洞it lives in, walls and air and all連牆壁和空氣都算

That is why we say sounds echo in the stairwell, why people hide there to smoke or make a private phone call, and why fire regulations talk about keeping stairwells clear.

That那是is why這就是為什麼we我們say會說sounds echo聲音會在裡面迴盪in the stairwell, why為什麼people人們hide there躲在那裡to smoke or make a private phone call抽菸或講私人電話, and why以及為什麼fire regulations消防法規talk about keeping會談到要保持stairwells clear樓梯間淨空

In Taiwan the word fits the concrete shaft in an apartment block or office building exactly — the place with the metal door on each floor, the emergency light, and everyone's neighbours' bicycles they should not be leaving there.

In Taiwan在台灣, the word這個字fits剛好對應the concrete shaft那條混凝土豎井in an apartment block or office building公寓或辦公大樓裡的exactly— the place那個地方with the metal door每層樓都有on each floor鐵門, the emergency light逃生燈, and everyone's neighbours' bicycles鄰居們的腳踏車they should not be leaving there那些不應該放在那裡的

Because the shaft has hard walls and no furniture, 'stairwell' has picked up a mood in stories and films: cold, echoing, slightly lonely, a place between places where people meet when they do not want to be seen. The word is plain and everyday, and you will meet it far more often in building talk than in casual chat, where people simply say 'the stairs'.

Because因為the shaft這條豎井has hard walls and no furniture只有硬牆、沒有家具, 'stairwell'stairwell這個字has picked up在故事和電影裡a mood沾染上了一種氛圍in stories and films: cold, echoing, slightly lonely冷冷的、會回音、有點孤單, a place一個介於場所之間的地方between places where people meet人們碰面的地方when they do not want to be seen當他們不想被看見的時候；The word這個字is plain and everyday樸素又日常, and you你will meet it far more often會更常遇到它in building talk在建築相關的談話裡than in casual chat而不是在閒聊裡, where people人們simply say會直接說'the stairs.''the stairs'（樓梯）