An etching is a picture printed from a metal plate that has been etched. The artist covers the plate, draws through the cover, and lets acid eat thin lines into the metal. Ink sits in those bitten lines, and paper pressed on the plate takes the picture. So you do not draw the final picture straight onto the paper; you print it, and you can often pull more than one copy from the same plate.

An etchingetchingis a picture printed from a metal plate that has been etched是從一塊被蝕刻過的金屬版印出來的圖畫。The artist covers the plate藝術家先把版面蓋起來，draws through the cover在蓋層上畫線，and lets acid eat thin lines into the metal再讓酸液把細線腐蝕進金屬裡。Ink sits in those bitten lines油墨會留在那些被腐蝕出來的線條裡，and paper pressed on the plate takes the picture而紙壓在版上就會印出圖案。So所以you do not draw the final picture straight onto the paper你不是直接把最後的圖畫在紙上；you print it你是把它印出來，and you can often pull more than one copy from the same plate而且常常可以從同一塊版印出不只一張。

People say 'an etching' for the print on the wall, and 'etching' for the whole craft. The lines usually look fine, sharp, and a little eaten — not like soft pencil.

People say 'an etching'大家會說an etchingfor the print on the wall指牆上掛的那張版畫，and 'etching' for the whole craft而etching則是指整個這門工藝。The lines usually look fine, sharp, and a little eaten線條通常看起來細緻、銳利、帶點被腐蝕的感覺——not like soft pencil不像柔軟的鉛筆線。

It is an art word. In loose talk, some people call any old-looking print an etching even when it was cut or drawn another way. That is wider than the tidy meaning, which is this acid-and-plate print.

It is an art word它是一個藝術用字。In loose talk在比較鬆散的說法裡，some people call any old-looking print an etching有些人會把任何看起來很舊的版畫都叫做etchingeven when it was cut or drawn another way即使它其實是用別的方式刻或畫出來的。That is wider than the tidy meaning這比嚴謹的定義要寬鬆，which is this acid-and-plate print而嚴謹的定義就是這種酸蝕金屬版印刷。