An epigraph is a short piece of writing put in a special place, not in the middle of a story. Two pictures cover almost every use.

An epigraph is a short piece of writingEpigraph是一小段文字，put in a special place放在特別的位置，not in the middle of a story不是放在故事中間。Two pictures cover almost every use兩種畫面幾乎涵蓋了它所有的用法。

First: a short sentence written or cut on a statue, a stone, or a building — words that sit on the thing itself.

First第一種：a short sentence written or cut on a statue, a stone, or a building一句刻在雕像、石頭，或建築物上的短句——words that sit on the thing itself文字就附著在那個物件本身上。

Second, and this is the one students meet in novels: a short quote placed at the very front of a book or a chapter, before the real text starts. It is not the title and not the first paragraph; it is a little borrowed voice that hints at the feeling of what follows.

Second第二種，and this is the one students meet in novels也是學生在小說裡會遇到的那種：a short quote placed at the very front of a book or a chapter放在一本書或一章最前面的短短引句，before the real text starts在正文開始之前。It is not the title and not the first paragraph它不是書名，也不是第一段；it is a little borrowed voice它是一個借來的小小聲音，that hints at the feeling of what follows暗示接下來內容的氛圍。

Though actually, people do not call a quote in the middle of a chapter an epigraph; that is just a quotation.

Though actually不過其實，people do not call a quote in the middle of a chapter an epigraph人們不會把放在一章中間的引言叫做epigraph；that is just a quotation那只是quotation（引言）。

The word is quiet and bookish. You will hear it from teachers, editors, and museum labels, not at the night market.

The word is quiet and bookish這個字安靜又書卷氣。You will hear it from teachers, editors, and museum labels你會從老師、編輯，和博物館標示牌那裡聽到它，not at the night market不會在夜市聽到。

There is also a rare verb, to epigraph a book, meaning to put such a line in front of it.

There is also a rare verb還有一個罕見的動詞，to epigraph a book叫做to epigraph a book，meaning to put such a line in front of it意思是在書前面放上這樣一句話。