preface
['pref.ɪs] noun countable
■an introduction at the beginning of a book explaining its aims 序言，前言•In his preface, the author says that he took eight years to write the book.在前言中，作者说他写这本书花了八年。 a preface to sth
■an event which comes before something more important …的序幕（或前奏）•We're hoping these talks could be a preface to peace.我们希望这些会谈能拉开和平的序幕。
['pref.ɪs] verb transitive formal
■If you preface your words or actions with something else, you say or do this other thing first 为…写序言；作为…的开端（或序幕）•Each work is prefaced by a descriptive note and concludes with an author's note.每一篇作品都以说明性文字作开端，以作者自己的批注为结尾。 •I should like to preface my response with the following observation.我想用以下评论作为我回应的开头。 |