The ecliptic is the path the Sun seems to follow through the sky over a year, against the background of the stars. The Sun is not really sliding around us — the Earth is going around the Sun — but from the ground that is how it looks.

The ecliptic黃道 is the path the Sun seems to follow through the sky over a year是太陽一年之間，看起來在天空中走過的路徑 against the background of the stars以星星為背景來看 The Sun is not really sliding around us太陽其實並不是繞著我們移動 the Earth is going around the Sun是地球繞著太陽轉 but from the ground that is how it looks但從地面上看起來就是那樣

That path lies on a flat plane, the same plane as Earth’s trip around the Sun. The Moon and the planets stay near this line too.

That path這條路徑 lies on a flat plane位於一個平面上 the same plane as Earth's trip around the Sun跟地球繞太陽公轉的軌道平面是同一個 The Moon and the planets月球和其他行星 stay near this line too也大致沿著這條線移動

It was named from eclipse: an eclipse can happen only when the Moon lies on this plane, so that the Moon can cover the Sun, or the Earth’s shadow can cover the Moon.

It was named from eclipse這個字是從 eclipse（日食／月食）來命名的 an eclipse can happen only when the Moon lies on this plane只有當月球正好落在這個平面上時，才會發生日食或月食 so that the Moon can cover the Sun, or the Earth's shadow can cover the Moon這樣月球才能遮住太陽，或是地球的影子才能遮住月球

The twelve star-signs of old sky-maps sit along the ecliptic. The word is also used as an adjective for things on that plane (the ecliptic plane), still the same idea.

The twelve star-signs of old sky-maps古老星圖上的十二星座 sit along the ecliptic就排列在黃道上 The word is also used as an adjective for things on that plane這個字也可以當形容詞，用來形容位在那個平面上的東西 (the ecliptic plane)（例如 the ecliptic plane 黃道面） still the same idea還是同樣的概念