Housebreaking, in this sense, is the crime of getting into someone else’s house by force — breaking locks, windows, or doors — in order to steal. The line in some learner lists makes it sound like a person; though actually the person is a housebreaker, and housebreaking is the act.

Housebreaking, in this sense, is這個意思下的 housebreaking 是 the crime of getting into someone else's house by force強行闯入別人家的犯罪行為——breaking locks, windows, or doors破壞鎖、窗戶或門, in order to steal為的是偷東西。The line in some learner lists makes it sound like a person有些學習清單上的說明聽起來像是在指一個人; though actually但事實上 the person is a housebreaker那個人是 housebreaker, and housebreaking is the act housebreaking 指的是這個行為。

It is close to burglary, and in British legal language housebreaking was long the usual word for this kind of break-in. You will still hear it in news and in court-ish English.

It is close to burglary它跟 burglary 很接近, and in British legal language在英式法律用語裡 housebreaking was long the usual word for this kind of break-in housebreaking 長久以來都是這種入侵行為的慣用說法。You will still hear it in news and in court-ish English你還是會在新聞和帶點法庭味道的英文裡聽到這個字。

In the United States, the same spelling has another common life that is easy to mix up: to housebreak a puppy is to train it not to urinate or defecate in the house (British English prefers house-train). Same pieces, different “break”: one is smashing a way in; the other is training, as in breaking in a horse.

In the United States在美國, the same spelling has another common life that is easy to mix up同樣的拼法還有另一個很容易混淆的常見用法: to housebreak a puppy is housebreak 一隻小狗指的是 to train it not to urinate or defecate in the house訓練牠不要在家裡大小便 (British English prefers house-train)（英式英文比較喜歡用 house-train）。Same pieces, different "break"同樣的組成部分，不同的 break: one is smashing a way in一個是硬闖進去; the other is training, as in breaking in a horse另一個是訓練，就像 breaking in a horse 那樣。

If the talk is of thieves and windows, you want the crime sense.

If the talk is of thieves and windows如果談的是小偷和窗戶, you want the crime sense你要用的就是犯罪的那個意思。