regulation

Compared meaning: an official rule or regulation (noun).

比较义项：官方规定、规则（名词）。

• regulation 本词

  More formal and official than rule; refers to a rule issued by a government or authority with legal or administrative force, often used in the plural for a set of such rules.

  比 rule 更正式、更官方，指由政府或权力机构颁布、具有法律或行政约束力的规定，常以复数形式表示一整套这样的规定。

  Building regulations state that all fire exits must be clearly marked and unobstructed.

  建筑规定要求所有消防出口都必须标示清楚，且保持畅通无阻。

• rule

  More general and less formal than regulation; can apply to a single guideline in a game, family, or organization, and does not necessarily carry legal force.

  比 regulation 更笼统、更不正式，可以指游戏、家庭或组织中的一条准则，不一定具有法律效力。

  In this house, the rule is no shoes allowed past the front door.

  在这个家里，规则是不允许穿鞋进门。

Regulation and rule can both describe a rule. Regulation is issued by a government or authority with legal force, often plural. Rule is more general, a single guideline in a game or family, without legal force. Rule as a verb, 'to govern', is not compared.

这两个词在表示“官方规定”时意思相近，但正式程度和使用场合不同：regulation 通常指由政府、机构等权威部门正式颁布、具有法律或行政约束力的规章，常以复数形式出现；rule 更宽泛，既可以是正式规定，也可以是家庭、游戏、组织等场合中较随意的一条准则。这里不比较 rule 作动词表示“统治，治理”的意思。