conception

Compared meaning: an abstract idea (noun).

比较义项：概念（n.）。

• concept

  The plain, everyday word for an abstract idea; neutral in register and usable in almost any context, often in phrases like 'basic concept' or 'key concept'.

  最普通、最日常的词，指抽象的想法；语气中性，几乎任何场合都能用，常用于“basic concept”（基本概念）、“key concept”（关键概念）等搭配。

  The concept of zero was a major breakthrough in early mathematics.

  零的概念是早期数学史上的一项重大突破。

• construct

  A more formal, academic word, common in social science; suggests an idea that is deliberately built up or theorized rather than simply observed, as in 'social construct'.

  语气更正式、偏学术，常见于社会科学领域；表示某个想法是被人为建立或理论化出来的，而不是单纯观察到的，如“social construct”（社会建构）。

  Sociologists argue that race is largely a social construct.

  社会学家认为，种族在很大程度上是一种社会建构。

• conception 本词

  Formal or literary in tone; emphasizes one particular person's own mental picture or understanding of something, often phrased as 'someone's conception of X'.

  语气较正式、偏书面，强调某个人自己对某事物的理解或看法，常用“某人对某事物的 conception”这样的说法。

  Every artist has a different conception of what beauty really means.

  每位艺术家对“美”的真正含义都有不同的理解。

Concept, construct, and conception all mean an abstract idea, but tone differs. Concept is the plain, everyday word, as in 'basic concept'. Construct is more formal, suggesting an idea built through theory, as in 'social construct'. Conception is formal, emphasizing one person's understanding of something.

这三个词在“概念、想法”这个意思上很接近，但语气和使用场合不同：concept 最常用、最中性；construct 偏学术/理论化，常用于“社会建构”等固定搭配；conception 强调某人自己对某事物的理解或看法，语气更正式。这里不比较 construct 的动词义“建造”（如 construct a bridge），也不比较 conception 的“怀孕、受孕”义。