A man who regularly hits his wife. It is not a neutral description — it is one of the ugliest labels English has for a man, and using it is an accusation.

A man who regularly hits his wife一個經常毆打自己妻子的男人 It is not a neutral description這不是個中性的描述 it is one of the ugliest labels English has for a man這是英文裡形容男人最難聽的標籤之一 and using it is an accusation用這個詞就等於是一種指控

Compare it with the calmer, more official phrase 'domestic abuser' or 'domestic violence offender', which is what news reports and courts tend to use; 'wife-beater' is blunt, angry, tabloid language. Because it is so heavy, people also throw it around as an insult at men they simply dislike, without evidence, so be careful.

Compare it with the calmer, more official phrase 'domestic abuser' or 'domestic violence offender'拿它跟比較冷靜、正式的說法'domestic abuser'或'domestic violence offender'比較一下 which is what news reports and courts tend to use這是新聞報導和法院比較常用的說法 'wife-beater' is blunt, angry, tabloid language'wife-beater'則是直白、帶怒氣的小報用語 Because it is so heavy因為這個詞這麼重 people also throw it around as an insult at men they simply dislike人們也會拿它來罵他們單純不喜歡的男人 without evidence沒有證據地 so be careful所以要小心使用

There is a second, quite different use you should know about: in American slang, a 'wifebeater' is a white sleeveless undershirt (what we would call a 男性背心), named from a nasty stereotype about the kind of man who wears one. That clothing sense is common in casual American speech but many people find it offensive, and 'tank top' or 'sleeveless undershirt' is the safer word.

There is a second, quite different use you should know about還有第二種完全不同的用法你該知道 in American slang, a 'wifebeater' is a white sleeveless undershirt在美式俚語裡，a 'wifebeater'是一種白色無袖內衣 (what we would call a 男性背心)（也就是我們說的男性背心） named from a nasty stereotype about the kind of man who wears one這個名字來自對穿這種衣服的男人的一種難聽刻板印象 That clothing sense is common in casual American speech這個衣服的意思在美式口語裡很常見 but many people find it offensive但很多人覺得這個詞冒犯 and 'tank top' or 'sleeveless undershirt' is the safer word'tank top'或'sleeveless undershirt'是比較安全的說法

Both senses are usually written with a hyphen or as one word.

Both senses are usually written with a hyphen or as one word兩種意思通常都寫成有連字號的形式，或直接連在一起寫成一個字