A whipping is a punishment in which someone is beaten, with a whip or with a stick, a belt or a cane. Historically it was a real legal punishment — courts ordered whippings, schools and parents gave them to children, and slaves and sailors were whipped — so you meet the word most often in history books and older stories: 'he was sentenced to twenty lashes' is described as a whipping. It is countable: 'he got a whipping', 'she gave the boy a whipping'.

A whipping is a punishment in which someone is beatenwhipping是一種處罰, with a whip or with a stick, a belt or a cane用鞭子,或用棍子、皮帶、藤條打人。 Historically it was a real legal punishment歷史上這是真正的法律處罰 — courts ordered whippings, schools and parents gave them to children, and slaves and sailors were whipped法庭會判處whippings、學校和父母會這樣處罰小孩、奴隸和水手也曾被鞭打 — so you meet the word most often in history books and older stories所以你最常在歷史書和比較舊的故事裡遇到這個字: 'he was sentenced to twenty lashes' is described as a whipping「he was sentenced to twenty lashes他被判二十鞭」就被形容為一次whipping。 It is countable它是可數名詞: 'he got a whipping', 'she gave the boy a whipping'「he got a whipping他挨了一頓鞭打」、「she gave the boy a whipping她鞭打了那個男孩」。

In modern everyday English the punishing sense is mostly historical, and when people use it about children today they usually mean a hard spanking, which many countries now forbid.

In modern everyday English the punishing sense is mostly historical在現代日常英文裡,處罰這個意思大多已經是歷史性的了, and when people use it about children today they usually mean a hard spanking而現在如果有人用它講小孩,通常是指很用力的打屁股, which many countries now forbid很多國家現在已經禁止這樣做。

The word has travelled into ordinary speech in two harmless ways: a sports team that loses very badly 'takes a whipping' or 'gets a whipping', and 'whipping boy' means the person who is always blamed for other people's mistakes.

The word has travelled into ordinary speech in two harmless ways這個字也以兩種無害的方式進入了日常口語: a sports team that loses very badly 'takes a whipping' or 'gets a whipping'一支輸得很慘的運動隊伍會「takes a whipping吃了一頓慘敗」或「gets a whipping挨了一頓痛宰」, and 'whipping boy' means the person who is always blamed for other people's mistakes而「whipping boy代罪羔羊」是指總是被怪罪別人犯的錯的那個人。

There is also a completely separate, kitchen sense of 'whipping' — beating cream or eggs fast until they are thick, as in 'whipping cream' — which has nothing to do with punishment.

There is also a completely separate, kitchen sense of 'whipping'還有一個完全不同、廚房裡的whipping意思 — beating cream or eggs fast until they are thick快速攪打鮮奶油或蛋液,直到變濃稠, as in 'whipping cream'像「whipping cream打發鮮奶油」 — which has nothing to do with punishment這跟處罰完全無關。