conduct

Compared meaning: how a person acts or behaves (noun).

比较义项：一个人的行为、举止（名词）。

• conduct 本词

  A formal noun for behavior judged against rules, morals or professional standards; common in phrases about codes of conduct or misconduct; rarely used for animals or trivial daily actions.

  一个正式的名词，指依据规则、道德或职业标准来评判的行为，常出现在“行为准则”“不当行为”一类说法中；很少用来形容动物或日常琐事中的举动。

  Every new employee must read and sign the company's code of conduct.

  每位新员工都必须阅读并签署公司的行为准则。

• behavior

  The neutral, all-purpose word for how a person or animal acts; used in everyday, scientific and casual contexts without judging it against rules or manners.

  一个中性、通用的词，指人或动物的行为方式，用于日常、科学或随意的语境，并不带有依据规则或礼仪来评判的意味。

  Scientists study the behavior of wolves to understand how they hunt.

  科学家研究狼群的行为，以了解它们是如何捕猎的。

• demeanor

  Describes a person's outward manner or bearing—posture, expression, tone—as it appears to others in a particular moment, rather than a pattern of actions judged by rules.

  描述一个人在特定时刻表现给他人看的外在举止神态，例如姿态、表情、语气，而不是依据规则评判的一系列行为。

  Despite the tense negotiations, her calm demeanor put everyone at ease.

  尽管谈判气氛紧张，她镇定的举止让大家都放松了下来。

Conduct, behavior, and demeanor mean how a person acts, but focus differently. Conduct is formal, judged by rules. Behavior is the neutral, everyday word. Demeanor is how a person appears at one moment. This excludes conduct as a verb, as in conducting an exam.

这三个词在“行为、举止”这一意义上意思相近，但侧重点和语气不同：conduct 强调依据规则或道德标准来评判的行为，语气正式，常见于表示行为准则或不当行为的场合；behavior 是最常见、最中性的说法，人和动物的行为都可以用；demeanor 侧重一个人在他人面前表现出来的举止神态，而不是长期的行为模式。另外，conduct 还有“主持、进行”的动词义（例如“老师将在大厅里主持考试”），这里不作比较。