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A volte-face is when someone turns completely around in what they think or what they plan to do — not a small adjustment, but the opposite of what they said before. A government promises no new tax, then announces a new tax: that is a volte-face.
A volte-faceA volte-face is when someone turns completely around in what they think or what they plan to do是指一個人在想法或打算做的事情上徹底大轉彎 — not a small adjustment不是小小的調整, but the opposite of what they said before而是完全跟他之前說的相反。A government一個政府 promises no new tax承諾不加新稅, then然後 announces a new tax卻宣布加了新稅: that is a volte-face這就是一個volte-face。
The word is formal and rather literary; you meet it in newspapers and serious writing, especially British writing, far more than in conversation. In speech people usually say U-turn, or a complete change of heart, or the "he flip-flopped." It is countable — "a stunning volte-face", "a series of volte-faces" — and it is usually paired with words showing surprise: a sudden, dramatic, volte-face.
The word這個字 is formal and rather literary正式，而且相當文學性; you meet it你會在 in newspapers and serious writing報紙和嚴肅的文章裡遇到它, especially British writing尤其是英式寫作裡, far more than in conversation遠比在對話中常見得多。In speech在口語裡, people usually say U-turn一般人通常說U-turn, or a complete change of heart或說a complete change of heart（徹底改變心意）, or the slangy "he flip-flopped."或俚語式的「he flip-flopped」（他反反覆覆） It is countable它是可數名詞 — "a stunning volte-face"「a stunning volte-face」（一個驚人的大轉彎）, "a series of volte-faces"「a series of volte-faces」（一連串的大轉彎） — and而且 it is usually paired with words showing surprise它通常會搭配表示驚訝的字: a sudden, dramatic, humiliating volte-facea sudden, dramatic, humiliating volte-face（突然的、戲劇性的、丟臉的大轉彎）。
Because it is borrowed from French, some speakers keep a French-ish pronunciation (roughly "volt-FASS"), and others say "VOLT-fayss"; both are heard, and the is normally kept.
Because it is borrowed from French因為這個字是從法文借來的, some speakers有些人 keep a French-ish pronunciation保留比較法式的發音 (roughly "volt-FASS"大概唸成「volt-FASS」), and而 others say "VOLT-fayss"其他人唸「VOLT-fayss」; both are heard兩種唸法都聽得到, and而 the hyphen這個連字號 is normally kept通常都會保留。
組成From French volte-face, literally "turn face": volte means a turn (the same root as the Italian riding term volta), and face means face. So: to turn your face right around.
同家族的字
- revolvesame Latin root volvere, to turn or roll
- revolutionliterally a turning around, from the same root
- facethe second half of the word, borrowed unchanged
原始詞典資料2 筆記錄
以下是外部詞典記錄的用法，原文照列，我們還沒有寫成教學內容。上面的說明才是我們自己寫的；有些用法可能上面已經講過了。
volte-facenoun/vɒltˈfæs/
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A reversal of attitude, policy, or principle.
- Psychoanalysis has sprung many surprises on us, performed more than one volte face before our indignant eyes.
- Then, on July 15, 1971, came Nixon's sudden announcement that Kissinger had just made a secret trip to Peking and that he himself had accepted Chou En-lai's invitation to visit the Chinese mainland sometime before May, 1972. This was instantly interpreted in chancelleries all over the world as a sign that the United States was about to execute a volte-face in its China policy.
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communicationsjournalismliteratureA dramatic change in mood or tone.
- Shakespeare often used volte-faces in the rhyming couplets at the end of his sonnets.
資料來源：英文維基詞典 English Wiktionary（CC BY-SA 4.0）。 原文照列，未經改寫。