A hatchet is a small axe. You hold it in one hand; the handle is short, and the head is light enough to swing close to your body, for splitting kindling or cutting small wood.

A hatchet手斧 is a small axe是一種小斧頭。You hold it in one hand你單手就能拿著它；the handle is short握柄很短，and而 the head is light enough斧頭很輕，to swing close to your body可以貼近身體揮動，for splitting kindling or cutting small wood用來劈柴火或砍小塊木頭。

A full axe needs two hands and is for bigger trees.

A full axe完整的大斧頭 needs two hands需要雙手，and而且 is for bigger trees是用來砍比較大的樹的。

People also use hatchet as a verb, though less often: to hatchet something is to cut it with a hatchet, rather roughly.

People also use hatchet as a verb人們也會把hatchet當動詞用，though less often雖然比較少見：to hatchet something用hatchet砍某樣東西 is to cut it with a hatchet, rather roughly是指用手斧砍它，而且砍得有點粗糙。

Around the tool sit a few strong pictures that students will meet. “Bury the hatchet” means to stop a fight and make peace — an old saying, still alive, not about gardening. A “hatchet job” is when someone writes or speaks so as to tear another person down. A “hatchet man” is the person a boss sends to do the ugly work, like firing people.

Around the tool圍繞這個工具 sit a few strong pictures有幾個很生動的說法 that students will meet是學生會遇到的。'Bury the hatchet'「埋葬手斧」 means to stop a fight and make peace意思是停止爭吵、和好——an old saying是個古老的說法，still alive現在還在用，not about gardening跟園藝無關。A 'hatchet job'一個「hatchet job」 is when someone writes or speaks so as to tear another person down是指有人用寫的或說的方式刻意打壓另一個人。A 'hatchet man'「hatchet man」 is the person a boss sends to do the ugly work是老闆派去做骯髒工作的人，like firing people像是開除員工。

Those uses are pictures; the small axe is still the home meaning.

Those uses are pictures這些用法都是比喻；the small axe那把小斧頭 is still the home meaning仍然才是這個字的本義。

Though actually, people say axe loosely for both tools, but a hatchet is the smaller, one-handed one. English already had handaxe; hatchet came in from French for a little axe and mostly took that job.

Though actually不過其實，people say axe loosely for both tools人們常常籠統地把兩種工具都叫axe，but但 a hatchet is the smaller, one-handed one手斧是比較小、單手用的那種。English already had handaxe英文本來就有handaxe這個字，hatchet came in from French for a little axe而hatchet是從法文傳入、指小斧頭的字，and mostly took that job後來大致取代了那個位置。