vocation
n.
1. 职[行]业; 业务
She chose nursing as her vocation.
她选择护士为职业。
Nursing is a vocation as well as a profession.
护理既是职业又是使命。
2. 使命; 天职
3. (对某种职业的)适合性, 才能
commercial vocation
商务行业
have no [little] vocation to [for] arts
不[不大]适合搞文艺
agricultural vocations
农务
4. 【说明】vocation 与 avocation 两词常被混淆;
A dentist at work in his vocation always looks down in the mouth.
牙医在工作的时候，是往嘴里瞧／垂头丧气。
He has little vocation for teaching.
他不是教书的材料。
Each day is a holiday, and ordinary holidays when they come are grudged as enforced interruptions in an absorbing vocation.
每个工作日象假日一样，平时节日的来临被抱怨为是对他们正全神贯注的工作的强行中断。
Nursing is a vocation as well as a profession.
护理工作既是职业又是救死扶伤的责任。
名词vocation
1. the particular occupation for which you are trained
2. a body of people doing the same kind of work
同义词：occupational group
同义词
n. 行业,职业
名复：vocations
vocation
常指赖以为生的正业, avocation 则指副业。如:Teaching is my vocation and writing is my avocation. 教书是我的职业, 写作是我的副业。