“rule of law”和“rule by law”作为人们对“法治”最为熟悉的两种翻译,常常使人难以区分,造成概念混淆。实则,其二者形虽相似,但意却大相径庭。因此,区分二者之间的概念不仅有助于我们对这两个词语译文的不同含义,而且对我们理解依法治国含义具有重要的意义。 The “rule of law” and “rule by law”, as the two most familiar translations of people for “the rule of law,” often make it hard to distinguish and confuse concepts. In fact, although the two are similar in form, their meaning is quite different. Therefore, to distinguish between the two concepts not only helps us to different interpretations of these two terms, but also has an important meaning for us to understand the meaning of governing the country according to law.