noun[ C ]formaluk/ˈæp.ə.θem/us/ˈæp.ə.θem/(UK also apophthegm)
格言，箴言，警句
a short clever saying that is intended to express a general truth
We are all familiar with Tolstoy's apothegm: "Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way."我们都很熟悉托尔斯泰的这句箴言：“幸福的家庭都是相同的，不幸的家庭各有各的不幸。”