有一天，你會。: 什麼是博士

每年秋天，我總要跟菜鳥博士生解釋 "什麼是博士？"

用言語實在是很難形容

所以，我用圖來說明

請看以下的 "圖解－什麼是博士"

Every fall, I explain to a fresh batch of Ph.D. students what a Ph.D. is.

It's hard to describe it in words.

So, I use pictures.

Read below for the illustrated guide to a Ph.D.

想像有一個圓，包含了人類所有的知識

Imagine a circle that contains all of human knowledge:

讀完小學後，您知道了一點點

By the time you finish elementary school, you know a little:

讀完中學時，您多懂了一點點

By the time you finish high school, you know a bit more:

伴隨著大學學位的完成，您擁有了主修專長

With a bachelor's degree, you gain a specialty:

碩士學位，更深化了您的專長領域

A master's degree deepens that specialty:

閱讀大量的研究論文，帶您來到現有知識的最前線

Reading research papers takes you to the edge of human knowledge

一旦您觸及現有知識的限制後，您開始專注在某個問題點上

Once you're at the boundary, you focus:

接下來的幾年，您不斷的嘗試突破限制

You push at the boundary for a few years:

直到有一天，限制突破了

Until one day, the boundary gives way:

這個突破就是所謂的博士學位

And, that dent you've made is called a Ph.D.:

當然，您現在看到的世界已經大不相同

Of course, the world looks different to you now:

但請不要忘記知識的全貌

So, don't forget the bigger picture:

繼續加油吧

Keep pushing.

有一天，你會。