A tailcoat is a man's formal jacket with a very unusual shape.

A tailcoat是一種男士的正式外套is a man's formal jacket，with形狀very unusual非常特殊的shape。

In front it is short — it stops at the waist, and it does not close over the stomach. In back it hangs down in two long narrow pieces, almost to the back of the knees. Those two hanging pieces are the "tails", and that is where the name comes from.

In front前面it它is short很短——it它stops at the waist停在腰部，and而且it它does not close over the stomach肚子前面不會合起來。In back後面it它hangs down垂下in two long narrow pieces兩條又長又窄的布，almost到幾乎快to the back of the knees膝蓋後面。Those那兩片two hanging pieces垂下來的布are the "tails"就是「尾巴」tails，and而that那就是is where the name comes from名字的由來。

People wear it to the most formal events: a very grand wedding, a state dinner, a ball. Orchestra conductors and classical musicians often wear one on stage, and so do waiters in very old-style expensive restaurants.

People人們wear it會穿to the most formal events去最正式的場合：a very grand wedding非常盛大的婚禮、a state dinner國宴、a ball舞會。Orchestra conductors and classical musicians樂團指揮和古典音樂家often常常wear one穿它on stage在台上，and而且so do waiters服務生也是in very old-style expensive restaurants在非常老派的高級餐廳裡。

In real life, most people will never wear one. The everyday word is the plural: people say "in tails" or "white tie and tails" far more often than they say "tailcoat", which sounds like the word on the rental shop's list rather than the word a friend uses.

In real life在現實生活裡，most people大多數人will never wear one永遠不會穿到它。The everyday word日常用的字is the plural是複數形：people人們say會說"in tails"或"white tie and tails"far more often遠比than they say"tailcoat"這個字常，which而後者sounds like聽起來像the word on the rental shop's list租借店清單上的字，rather than而不是the word a friend uses朋友會說的字。

The shape is also famous from cartoons and old films — the magician, the rich villain, the penguin — so even people who have never seen one in real life know the picture.

The shape這個形狀is also famous也因為出名from cartoons and old films卡通和老電影——the magician魔術師、the rich villain有錢的壞蛋、the penguin企鵝——so所以even就算people人們who have never seen one in real life從沒在現實裡見過它，know也都認得the picture這個畫面。

Note that this jacket is not the same as a tuxedo (British: dinner jacket), which is shorter and has no tails; students often mix the two, and in English they belong to two different levels of formality, with tails being the higher one.

Note請注意that這件jacket外套is not the same as並不等於a tuxedo小禮服——British: dinner jacket英式叫dinner jacket——，which它is shorter比較短，and而has no tails沒有尾巴；students學生often mix the two常常搞混這兩個，and而in English在英文裡they belong to這兩者屬於two different levels of formality兩種不同的正式程度，with tails being the higher one而tails燕尾服是比較高的那一級。