From the word’s history
From Old French représenter, from Latin repraesentō; displaced Old English spelian.
源自古法文 représenter，來自拉丁文 repraesentō。
You can think of one thing standing in the place of another: a mark, a person, or an object steps forward and says 'I am here for that thing.' A flag stands in for a country; a lawyer stands in for a client; a symbol stands in for an idea. Whether it 'speaks for' people or 'stands for' a meaning, represent is always one thing taking the place of, or pointing to, another.
可以想成「一個東西站到另一個東西的位置上，替它出面」：一面旗站出來說「我代表那個國家」，一位律師站出來說「我替這位當事人講話」，一個記號站出來說「我代表那個意思」。represent 的核心畫面比較像「甲站在乙的位置上，替乙發聲或指向乙」——不管是替人出面，還是替一個意思站台，都是這個替身的動作。
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