A novella is a story that sits in the middle: longer than a short story, shorter than a full novel. There is no exact page number everyone agrees on, but you can often read one in an evening.

A novella中篇小說 is是 a story that sits in the middle一種介於中間的故事， longer than a short story比短篇小說長， shorter than a full novel比完整的長篇小說短。

Because it is shorter, a novella usually follows fewer people and one main problem; it does not have room for a novel’s many side plots.

Because it is shorter因為比較短， a novella usually follows fewer people and one main problem中篇小說通常只跟著較少的人物和一個主要問題； it does not have room for a novel's many side plots容不下長篇小說裡那麼多的支線劇情。

Writers and publishers use the word; in ordinary talk people more often say “a short novel” or just name the book. Though actually English borrowed it from Italian, and it is a close cousin of novel — two English words that came from the same older word by different roads.

Writers and publishers use the word作家和出版社會用這個字； in ordinary talk平常說話時， people more often say a short novel大家比較常說「短篇長篇小說」， or just name the book或者直接說書名。Though actually不過其實 English borrowed it from Italian英文是從義大利文借來這個字的， and而且 it is a close cousin of novel它跟 novel 是近親—— two English words that came from the same older word by different roads這兩個英文字是從同一個更早的字經由不同途徑演變而來的。