Subsidence is what we call it when the ground itself sinks — not a sudden hole, usually, but the slow settling of land to a lower level than the land around it. It happens for real reasons a student can picture: too much water pumped out from under the ground, old mine tunnels collapsing, soft soil drying and shrinking, heavy buildings pressing down over many years.

Subsidence Subsidence is what we call it when the ground itself sinks指的就是地面本身下陷 not a sudden hole, usually通常不是突然出現一個洞 but the slow settling of land而是土地慢慢地下沉 to a lower level than the land around it到比周圍土地更低的高度 It happens for real reasons a student can picture它發生的原因是學生可以想像的實際狀況 too much water pumped out from under the ground地下水抽得太多 old mine tunnels collapsing舊礦坑坍塌 soft soil drying and shrinking鬆軟的土壤變乾收縮 heavy buildings pressing down over many years厚重的建築物多年來持續下壓

In Taiwan this word matters. Parts of Yunlin and Changhua have sunk metres over decades because of groundwater pumping for fish farms and farming, and this is exactly the word English news uses for it: land subsidence.

In Taiwan在台灣 this word matters這個字很重要 because of groundwater pumping for fish farms and farming因為魚塭養殖和農業超抽地下水 Parts of Yunlin and Changhua雲林和彰化有些地方 have sunk metres over decades幾十年來下陷了好幾公尺 and this is exactly the word English news uses for it而這正是英語新聞用來稱呼這個現象的字 land subsidence land subsidence（地層下陷）

The word has a second, narrower home in Britain, where it is a house word. If a British house has 'subsidence', it means the ground under one part of the house has sunk and the walls have cracked. It is the thing house buyers fear and insurance companies argue about; a British person can say 'the house has subsidence' the way we might say a house has termites.

The word has a second, narrower home in Britain這個字在英國還有第二個比較窄的用法 where it is a house word是跟房子有關的字 If a British house has 'subsidence'如果一棟英國房子有'subsidence' it means the ground under one part of the house has sunk意思是房子某一部分底下的地面下陷了 and the walls have cracked牆壁也裂了 It is the thing house buyers fear這是買房子的人害怕的事 and insurance companies argue about也是保險公司會爭論的事 a British person can say 'the house has subsidence'英國人會說「這房子有subsidence」 the way we might say a house has termites就像我們會說一棟房子有白蟻一樣

Grammatically it is uncountable — we say 'subsidence', not 'a subsidence' or 'subsidences', in almost every normal case.

Grammatically it is uncountable文法上這是不可數名詞 in almost every normal case在幾乎所有正常情況下 we say 'subsidence'我們說'subsidence' not 'a subsidence' or 'subsidences'而不說'a subsidence'或'subsidences'

It is a technical and news word rather than a chatting word; the ordinary way to say it is 'the ground is sinking'.

It is a technical and news word這是專業、新聞用語 rather than a chatting word而不是聊天會用的字 the ordinary way to say it is 'the ground is sinking'一般說法是'the ground is sinking'（地在下沉）