Thatched describes a roof made of dried plant material — straw, reeds, palm leaves, grass — laid in thick layers so the rain runs off the outside and the inside stays dry. You use it before a noun almost every time: a thatched roof, a thatched cottage, a thatched hut. A building can be called thatched too, and when someone says "a thatched house" they mean the roof, not the walls.

Thatched describes a roof made of dried plant materialThatched(茅草蓋的)形容的是用曬乾的植物材料做的屋頂 — straw, reeds, palm leaves, grass ——像稻草、蘆葦、棕櫚葉、茅草—— laid in thick layers一層一層厚厚地鋪上去 so the rain runs off the outside and the inside stays dry讓雨水從外面流走，裡面保持乾燥。 You use it before a noun almost every time你幾乎每次都會把它放在名詞前面用： a thatched roof, a thatched cottage, a thatched hut像a thatched roof(茅草屋頂)、a thatched cottage(茅草小屋)、a thatched hut(茅草棚屋)。 A building can be called thatched too一整棟建築也可以被說成thatched， and when someone says "a thatched house" they mean the roof當有人說"a thatched house"時指的是屋頂， not the walls不是牆壁。

The word comes with pictures attached, and which picture depends on where you are. In Britain it says *old and pretty*: small country cottages with heavy golden roofs, the kind on postcards, expensive to buy and expensive to keep because the thatch must be replaced every few decades and the fire risk is high. In much of Asia, Africa, and the Pacific it says something quite different — ordinary local building, cheap, cool in hot weather, still in everyday use, or else the deliberately rustic style of a beach resort.

The word comes with pictures attached這個字自帶著畫面， and which picture depends on where you are是哪一種畫面要看你人在哪裡。 In Britain it says *old and pretty*在英國，這個字說的是「古老又漂亮」： small country cottages with heavy golden roofs鄉間有著厚重金黃屋頂的小屋， the kind on postcards就是明信片上會出現的那種， expensive to buy and expensive to keep買起來貴，維護起來也貴 because the thatch must be replaced every few decades and the fire risk is high因為茅草每隔幾十年就得換一次，而且失火風險很高。 In much of Asia, Africa, and the Pacific it says something quite different在亞洲、非洲和太平洋的很多地方，這個字說的是完全不同的事 — ordinary local building, cheap, cool in hot weather, still in everyday use——普通的當地建築，便宜、在炎熱天氣裡涼爽，而且還在日常使用中， or else the deliberately rustic style of a beach resort或者是海邊度假村刻意營造的鄉村風格。

Neither picture is wrong; the word simply sits in two worlds. It comes from the verb *thatch*, meaning to cover a roof this way, and a person whose job that is is called a thatcher.

Neither picture is wrong兩種畫面都沒有錯； the word simply sits in two worlds這個字就是同時活在兩個世界裡。 It comes from the verb *thatch*它來自動詞thatch， meaning to cover a roof this way意思是用這種方式蓋屋頂， and a person whose job that is is called a thatcher而以此為業的人叫做a thatcher(茅草匠)。