Iconoclasm is the attacking of beliefs, customs, or ideas that most people treat as settled and almost sacred. Iconoclastic writing or talk does not politely disagree; it tries to knock the old pictures down. That is the sense learners meet in essays about people who challenge tradition.

Iconoclasm isIconoclasm指的是 the attacking of beliefs, customs, or ideas攻擊信念、習俗或想法 that most people treat as settled and almost sacred大多數人視為理所當然、近乎神聖不可侵犯的。Iconoclastic writing or talk帶有iconoclastic色彩的文章或言談 does not politely disagree不會客氣地表示不同意, it tries to knock the old pictures down而是想把舊有的圖像打倒。in essays about people who challenge tradition在談論挑戰傳統的人的文章裡 that is the sense learners meet這就是學習者會遇到的意思。

The older, more literal sense is the breaking of religious images (icons) in churches: people who thought statues of saints were wrong smashed them. English then stretched the word, so the “images” can be any respected belief.

The older, more literal sense比較舊、比較字面的意思 is the breaking of religious images (icons) in churches是打破教堂裡的宗教畫像（icons）: people who thought statues of saints were wrong覺得聖人雕像是錯誤的人 smashed them把它們砸毀。English then stretched the word後來英文把這個字的意思延伸, so the "images" can be any respected belief讓「畫像」可以指任何受尊崇的信念。

Iconoclasm names the practice or the spirit; the person is an iconoclast; the adjective is iconoclastic. It is a formal, bookish word, not everyday chat.

Iconoclasm names the practice or the spiritIconoclasm指的是這種行為或這種精神; the person is an iconoclast做這件事的人叫iconoclast; the adjective is iconoclastic形容詞是iconoclastic。It is a formal, bookish word這是個正式、書面的字, not everyday chat不是日常聊天會用的。

A phone icon — a little picture on a screen — is a much later, different use of icon, and it does not make you an iconoclast.

A phone icon手機上的icon圖示 — a little picture on a screen螢幕上的小圖片 — is a much later, different use of icon是icon這個字後來、不同的用法, and it does not make you an iconoclast這並不會讓你變成iconoclast。