When cloth is made on a loom, two sets of threads cross each other. The threads held tight, running the long way along the cloth, are the **warp**. The threads carried side to side, over and under the warp, are the **weft**.

When cloth is made on a loom布是在織布機上做出來的時候，two sets of threads cross each other有兩組線會互相交叉。The threads held tight被繃緊固定住的線，running the long way along the cloth沿著布的長邊延伸，are the **warp**就是warp經線。The threads carried side to side被左右來回帶著走的線，over and under the warp在經線上下穿梭，are the **weft**就是weft緯線。

So the weft is the crossing thread — the one that actually travels back and forth as the weaving happens.

So the weft is the crossing thread所以weft就是那條橫向交叉的線——the one that actually travels back and forth是實際在織布過程中來回移動的那條，as the weaving happens隨著編織進行。

This is a technical word from weaving and textiles, and in that world it is exact and everyday: a weaver, a fabric maker, or a textile student uses it without thinking.

This is a technical word from weaving and textiles這是織布和紡織業裡的專門用語，and in that world it is exact and everyday在那個行業裡它既精確又日常：a weaver, a fabric maker, or a textile student織工、布料製造商，或紡織系的學生uses it without thinking用起來根本不用想。

Outside that world, most English speakers only meet it in the fixed pair **"warp and weft."** That phrase has become a way of describing the basic criss-crossing structure of anything — "the warp and weft of village life" means the threads that make the whole thing hold together. When you meet the word in a novel or an essay, it is almost always doing that figurative job.

Outside that world在那個行業之外，most English speakers only meet it in the fixed pair **"warp and weft."**大部分英文母語者只會在固定片語「warp and weft經緯」裡碰到它。That phrase has become a way of describing the basic criss-crossing structure of anything這個片語後來變成用來形容任何東西基本交錯結構的說法——"the warp and weft of village life"像「the warp and weft of village life村莊生活的經緯」means the threads that make the whole thing hold together指的是讓整件事撐起來的那些線。When you meet the word in a novel or an essay當你在小說或散文裡碰到這個字，it is almost always doing that figurative job它幾乎都是在做那個比喻的工作。

Grammar notes: it is a noun, usually uncountable or treated as a single set ("the weft"), and it takes `the` far more often than `a`. In some places, especially older British usage, you may also hear `woof` for the same thing — same meaning, different word, and unfortunately identical in spelling to the sound a dog makes. `Filling` is the common American factory term.

Grammar notes文法上：it is a noun這是一個名詞，usually uncountable or treated as a single set通常不可數，或當成一整組來看（"the weft"就說「the weft」），and it takes `the` far more often than `a`而且用`the`的頻率遠高於`a`。In some places, especially older British usage在某些地方，尤其是比較老式的英式用法裡，you may also hear `woof` for the same thing你也可能聽到`woof`指同樣的東西——same meaning, different word意思一樣，字不一樣，and unfortunately identical in spelling to the sound a dog makes但很不巧拼法跟狗叫聲一模一樣。`Filling` is the common American factory term`Filling`則是美國工廠常用的說法。