Must-Learn Terms 必记的术语If you don't know these Latin terms, get to learning them ASAP, as they are comm only used in speaking and writing and may be hard to avoid.亲，如果你还不知道这些拉丁词汇，那么就赶紧行动吧！因为他们在日常写作和交流的时候是不可避免地会被用到的！∙Per se: （就其本身而言）The direct translation of this term is "by itsel f" and it means just that when used in English as well. You could use it to say that you don't find chemistry boring per se (by itself, intrinsically), but t his professor's voice puts you to sleep. 例如：就化学本身而言我并不讨厌它，可是教授上课的声音总是让我想打瞌睡。

∙Vice versa: （反之亦然）From the Latin meaning "to change" or "tur n around," this term means to reverse the order of something . This quote from Samuel Butler provides an example, "In the midst of vice we are in vir tue, and vice versa."∙Alma mater: （母校尤指大学）If you don't know this term already, y ou'll become quite familiar with it once you graduate from college. The litera l translation is "dear/bountiful mother" but you'll find it used in everyday lan guage to denote the college or university from which one has graduated.∙Magnum opus（大师之作/绝好的艺术作品）: Whether it's in writing, p ainting, sculpture or music, this Latin term denotes the greatest work doneby an artist-- a true masterpiece.∙Bona fide（在法律术语中指良好的意图/一般表示真诚的和善意的）: Whi le it's literal translation means "good faith" this term has a few different sha des of meaning in modern language. In legal terms, it is used to represent something that is presented without deception or fraud, or literally in good f aith, honest, sincere and lawful. It is more commonly used to mean somethi ng that's the real deal or truly authentic.∙Quasi（类似的，有如）: In Latin, this word means as if or as though and in English it is used as both an adjective in its own right and as a partof a compound word. It simply designates something that resembles somet hing else but doesn't quite have all the same features.∙Alter ego（密友，或者个性的另一面）: Cicero coined this term, most li kely taken from the Greek, to mean "a second self" or "another I" and itsmodern meaning hasn't changed much today. Many people have an alter eg o, or another, perhaps hidden aspect of themselves. One example from popular culture is Beyonce's alter ego, Sasha Fierce.∙Verbatim（逐字逐句的/地）: If you repeat something verbatim you re peat it in exactly the same words, word for word with no changes and no i mprovisation.∙Status quo（现状）: From the Latin meaning "the state in which" thi s term is used today to designate the existing state or condition of things. F or example, if you're making money off of a high pollution industry it is toyour interests to maintain the status quo when it comes to environmental la w.Writing 写作的时候常用到的拉丁文Knowing just what these terms and words mean can be a big help in improving yo ur reading comprehension.知道这些拉丁文可以有效地提高你的阅读理解能力。

∙Sic（这个是指原作品中出现了错误，编辑在此指出）: Found in writing, t his Latin word most commonly finds a home in brackets (like this: [sic]) wh en quoting a statement or writing. It indicates that there is a spelling or gra mmar error (or just something out of the ordinary) in the original quotation and that the publication has only reproduced it faithfully, not made an errorof their own.∙Id est（缩写是i.e.,通常在作者想要给出具体的例子和解释的时候）: You' ve likely seen this term in writing before, even if you weren't aware as it iscommonly abbreviated to i.e. In Latin, it means "that is" and is used in En glish when the speaker or writer wants to give an example or explanation t hat specifies a statement.∙Deus ex machina（解围的人或事件）: In direct translation, this term means, "God out of a machine" and it harkens back ancient Greek and Rom an plays. When the plot would become too tangled or confusing, the writerswould simply bring in God, lowered in via a pulley system (the machine) a nd he would wrap it all up. Today, it's still used in literature to describe a p lot where an artificial or improbable means of resolving a conflict is used.∙Exempli gratia（缩写是e.g.,这通常会用在例子前面，for the sake of example）: You'll often see this term abbreviated to e.g. in writing. It mea ns "for the sake of example" and when it see it in a sentence you can exp ect that is will be followed by some examples.∙Et cetera（缩写是etc. 意思是and the others还有其他的）: Few out there aren't familiar with this term but may not know it as well when it's sp elled out like this and not abbreviated as etc. Meaning "and the others" it isused to denote that a list of things could continue ad infinitum (see below for definition) and that for the sake of brevity it's better to just wrap thingsup with a simple etc.∙Ex libris（专指书籍从...图书馆来）: Back in the days when books were rarer and more expensive commodities than they were today, it was common to mark your books with a label bearing your own name and this phra se which means "from the library of." While not as common today, some true bibliophiles still use the labels.∙Ibidem（缩写是ibid,常被用在文献页，指同一个资料来源被引用了两次）: Another abbreviated term, this word is more commonly seen in research wr iting in the form of "ibid." From the Latin for "in the same place" it is found in footnotes and bibliographies to designate that the same source has been cited twice in succession.∙Et alii（缩写是et al, 通常用在一本合著的书的某一个作者名字之后以省略罗列其他的作者名字）: You're unlikely to encounter this Latin phrase in its un abbreviated form, and will most likely only ever see it as et al when included. This is also a term that is found in footnotes and bibliographies which allows writers to refer to a large number of authors without having to write e ach name out (for example, you could say that your source is Dr. Henry Jo nes et al.)Everyday Talk 日常生活中常用到的拉丁语You've likely heard these words and phrases on the news or in conversations, and i f you didn't know what they meant then, these definitions will help make it clear n ow.你有可能之前在新闻或者日常对话中听过这些短语，如果你还不清楚他们具体是什么意思，那么接下来的解释会让你更加清楚它们的含义。