Third-rate means very bad in quality — not merely below average, but poor enough to be worth sneering at. It is a dismissive word, and the dismissal is the point: you use it when you want to look down on something, not when you are giving a fair report.

Third-rateThird-rate（三流的） means very bad in quality意思是品質很差 not merely below average不只是低於平均 but poor enough to be worth sneering at而是差到值得被嘲笑。It is a dismissive word它是個帶著鄙視的字 and the dismissal is the point而這種鄙視就是重點：you use it when you want to look down on something你用它是因為想瞧不起某樣東西 not when you are giving a fair report不是在給公正的評價。

It attaches most naturally to things people make or perform: a third-rate film, a third-rate hotel, a third-rate imitation, a third-rate poet. Used of a person it always judges their work, not their character — calling someone a third-rate lawyer says they are bad at law, not that they are a bad human being.

It attaches most naturally to things people make or perform它最自然接在人做出來或表演出來的東西上：a third-rate film像 a third-rate film 三流電影、a third-rate hotela third-rate hotel 三流旅館、a third-rate imitationa third-rate imitation 三流的模仿、a third-rate poeta third-rate poet 三流詩人。Used of a person用在一個人身上時 it always judges their work, not their character它評的永遠是這個人的本事，不是他的人品 calling someone a third-rate lawyer說一個人是 a third-rate lawyer says they are bad at law是說他法律很爛 not that they are a bad human being不是說他是個壞人。

It comes before the noun almost every time. The family is worth seeing whole: first-rate is genuinely good and is used often and warmly; second-rate means disappointing, not up to standard; third-rate is where contempt begins.

It comes before the noun它放在名詞前面 almost every time幾乎每次都是這樣。The family is worth seeing whole這一整組字值得放在一起看：first-rate is genuinely good and is used often and warmlyfirst-rate（一流）真的是好，而且常被親切地用；second-rate means disappointing, not up to standardsecond-rate（二流）意思是令人失望、不夠水準；third-rate is where contempt beginsthird-rate（三流）就是鄙視開始的地方。

There is no real fourth-rate — the counting stops, because by three the insult is already complete. The origin is naval: the Royal Navy once graded its warships as first-rate, second-rate and so on by how many guns they carried, and the ordinary language kept the ranking long after the ships were gone.

There is no real fourth-rate沒有真正的 fourth-rate（四流） the counting stops數字算到這裡就停了 because by three the insult is already complete因為到三，這個侮辱就已經完整了。The origin is naval這個字的來源是海軍：the Royal Navy once graded its warships as first-rate, second-rate and so on英國皇家海軍曾經把軍艦分成 first-rate、second-rate 等等級 by how many guns they carried依照船上載了幾門砲 and the ordinary language kept the ranking long after the ships were gone而日常語言把這套分級用了下去，遠遠久過那些船艦本身。