A scapegoat is someone who is blamed for a bad thing that happened, even when it was not their fault — or not mostly their fault. Groups often pick one person, one team, or even one country to carry the anger, so everyone else can feel cleaner. You hear it at school, at work, and in the news.

A scapegoat is someone who is blamed for a bad thing that happenedscapegoat是指被怪罪某件壞事的人, even when it was not their fault即使那不是他的錯——or not mostly their fault或大部分都不是他的錯。Groups often pick one person, one team, or even one country團體常會挑一個人、一個團隊，甚至一個國家 to carry the anger來承受眾人的怒氣, so everyone else can feel cleaner好讓其他人覺得自己比較無辜。You hear it at school, at work, and in the news你在學校、職場和新聞裡都會聽到這個字。

It is also a verb: to scapegoat someone is to push that blame onto them.

It is also a verb它也可以當動詞用: to scapegoat someone is to push that blame onto themto scapegoat someone就是把責怪推到某人身上。

The picture is old and quite literal. In 1530 the Bible translator William Tyndale made the English word from scape (an old short form of escape) and goat, for a goat sent away into the wild as if it took the people's wrongs with it. He was reading a Hebrew word, azazel. Though actually, scholars still argue about that Hebrew; Tyndale's split into “escaping goat” is one reading, not a settled fact.

The picture is old and quite literal這個畫面既古老又相當寫實。In 1530 the Bible translator William Tyndale made the English word from scape (an old short form of escape) and goat1530年，聖經翻譯家威廉·丁道爾用scape（escape的舊式簡寫）加上goat，創造出這個英文字, for a goat sent away into the wild用來指被送往荒野的一隻山羊, as if it took the people's wrongs with it彷彿牠帶走了眾人的過錯。He was reading a Hebrew word, azazel他當時讀的是一個希伯來文的字，azazel。Though actually不過其實, scholars still argue about that Hebrew學者對那個希伯來文至今仍有爭論; Tyndale's split into “escaping goat”丁道爾把它拆成「逃走的羊」 is one reading, not a settled fact只是其中一種解讀，並不是定論。

In ordinary talk now, almost nobody is thinking of a real animal. People do stretch it: anyone who gets criticised after a failure may call themselves a scapegoat, even when they played a real part.

In ordinary talk now現在日常說這個字時, almost nobody is thinking of a real animal幾乎沒有人會想到真正的動物。People do stretch it人們確實會延伸使用: anyone who gets criticised after a failure任何在失敗後被批評的人 may call themselves a scapegoat都可能自稱是scapegoat, even when they played a real part即使他其實真的有份責任。