mission
/ˈmɪʃən/noun
1- an important assignment carried out for political, religious, or commercial purposes, typically involving travel abroad（政治、宗教或商业的）任务, 使命：
a fact-finding mission to China.
到中国探求事实真相的任务。
1.1
- treated as sing. or pl. a group of people taking part in such an assignment外交使团; 代表团; 传教团; 布道团：
by then, the mission had journeyed over 3,500 miles.
那时, 传教团已经奔走了3,500多英里。
1.2
- in sing. an organization or institution involved in a long-term assignment abroad驻外机构; 使馆：
the majestic garden of the West German mission
西德使馆的气派花园
as modifier the mission school.驻外机构的学校。
1.3
- the vocation or calling of a religious organization, especially a Christian one, to go out into the world and spread its faith（尤指基督教会）传教工作, 传教：
the Christian mission
基督教传教工作
mass noun Gandhi's attitude to mission and conversion.甘地对传教和皈依的态度。
1.4
- a building or group of buildings used by a Christian mission基督教传教所。
1.5
- a strongly felt aim, ambition, or calling使命, 天职：
his main mission in life has been to cut unemployment.
他一生主要使命就是减少失业。
1.6
- an expedition into space航天飞行。
1.7
- an operation carried out by military aircraft at a time of conflict（军用飞机作战）飞行任务：
he was shot down on a supply mission.
他在执行一次补给任务中被击落。
词源
mid 16th cent. (denoting the sending of the Holy Spirit into the world)： from Latin missio（n-）, from mittere 'send'.