edifice

Compared meaning: a structure with a roof and walls (noun).

比较义项：有屋顶和墙壁的建筑物（名词）。

• building

  Neutral, everyday word for any structure with a roof and walls; used for ordinary buildings like homes or offices, with no sense of size or grandeur.

  语气中性、最常用的日常词，指任何有屋顶和墙壁的建筑物（如住宅、办公楼），不带宏伟或宏大的含义。

  The building on the corner used to be an old school.

  街角那栋建筑以前是一所旧学校。

• edifice 本词

  Formal, literary word for a large, imposing or historically significant building; sounds pompous or out of place if used for an ordinary building.

  正式、文学化的词，专指高大宏伟或具有历史意义的大型建筑；用在普通建筑上会显得夸张、不自然。

  The old stone edifice towered over the small town square.

  那座古老的石头大厦高耸于小镇广场之上。

Building and edifice both mean a structure with a roof and walls. Building is the neutral, everyday word. Edifice is formal and literary, for a large, impressive, or historic building, rarely used in casual speech. Building can also be a verb; not compared here.

building是最普通、语气中性的说法，日常口语和书面语中都常用；edifice是正式、文学化的说法，专指高大宏伟或具有历史意义的大型建筑，日常口语中很少使用。这里不比较building作动词“建造”（build的现在分词）的用法。