Close menu

你问我答

中级

如何区分英语中的收据、发票和账单：“receipt”、“invoice” 和 “bill”

Episode 261007 / 07 Oct 2026

内容简介

“Receipt”、“invoice” 和 “bill” 都是英语中常见的与付款、收费相关的单词。不过，你分得清它们之间的区别吗？哪一种是商家用来向顾客收款的，哪一种又是用来证明已经付款的凭证？听节目，跟主持人步理和 Georgie 一起辨析这三个单词的用法区别。

文字稿

（关于台词的备注: 请注意这不是广播节目的逐字稿件。本文稿可能没有体现录制、编辑过程中对节目做出的改变。）

Buli
Georgie, have you ever thought about the difference between 'receipt', 'invoice' and 'bill'?

Georgie
Hmm… I haven't, actually, but they're all related, aren't they? They're all about written forms of payment, but they are used in different ways.

Buli
Indeed. It's just that I always get confused when a company asks me to provide a 'proof of payment'. Well, in fact, a listener has asked us about this too. Shall we hear the question?

Georgie
Go for it.

Question
最近工作报销的时候发现英语里的 “账单” 和 “收据” 有好多种说法，比如 “receipt”、“invoice” 和 “bill”，请问它们有什么区别吗？比如，公司报销要求提供的 “发票” 和商家发来需要付款的 “单据”，英语里一般分别对应哪个词呢？

Buli
欢迎收听 “你问我答” 节目。本期节目将要回答的听众问题和我们在交钱或者收款时的三种单据 “receipt”、“invoice” 和 “bill” 有关。Georgie, we know that they are all paperwork involving money, but are they the exact same thing?

Georgie
Great question! Firstly, no, they can't be used interchangeably. The first distinction is that invoice and bill are used before a payment, and receipt is used after a payment. Let's talk about before payments first.

Buli
Right. A bill and an invoice both tell you how much money you owe, but a bill is more informal. You receive a bill in a restaurant after you've eaten, for example.

Georgie
Yes. So the customer will ask the waiter, 'Excuse me, can I get the bill?' and the waiter will say, 'Yes, here's the bill'. The bill tells you what you had and what it cost. You can then pay the bill, which means you make the payment via cash or card.

Buli
问题提到的这三个单词最主要的一项区别就是 “bill” 和 “invoice” 是提醒人们 “交钱” 的，而 “receipt” 则是 “已经付了钱的证明”。也正如 Georgie 刚才描述的，“bill” 在生活场景中更为常见，可以理解为 “账单”。我们去餐厅吃饭的饭钱、手机的话费、家里的水电费等等，都可以是 “bill”。在英语国家，人们甚至会用 “the bills” 来指代 “日常生活中林林总总花销的总和”，类似于 “必要的生活费，生活成本”。

Georgie
That's right. We earn money to pay the bills. Next is invoice. An invoice is a more formal document commonly sent by businesses to receive payment. It has information such as customer and seller details, the amount of money due and when it is due.

Buli
Freelance workers or contractors such as an electrician or a designer often send invoices after finishing a project.

和 “bill” 相比，“invoice” 的作用更加正式。“Invoice” 可以理解为 “账单” 或者 “商业发票”，和 “bill” 比起来，“invoice” 上通常会记载更多和交易有关的细节，比如交易双方的信息和交易的内容、时间、条件。当然，还有某一方需要支付多少钱。

如果你需要开具或收到了一张 “invoice”，那么通常可能是意味着你提供了某项比较专业的服务或者收到了某个公司发来的货物。Again, it is similar to a bill, but it's more commonly sent between businesses.

Georgie
Lastly, a receipt. This happens after the payment as proof of the payment. The word 'receipt' comes from the word 'receive'. It's given after the recipient has received the money. Going back to our restaurant example, after you have paid the bill, you'll often have the option of getting a receipt.

Buli
没错。单词 “receipt” 的意思是 “收据”，通常只有在收到 “bill（账单）” 或 “invoice（发票）” 并支付完成后，才会提供给付款人，作为支付完成的凭据。你或许已经注意到了，“receipt” 其实和单词 “receive（接收）” 同根同源，相关的单词还有表示 “收款人，收货人” 的 “recipient”。

你正在收听的是 BBC 英语教学制作的 “你问我答” 节目。在本期节目中，我和 Georgie 辨析了三个跟 “交钱” 和 “收钱” 有关的单词 “receipt”、“invoice” 和 “bill”。

Georgie
So, to help with your confusion earlier, Buli: When paying at a restaurant, use the word 'bill'. When your company asks you for proof of payment, use 'receipt', and when a business sends you a document asking for payment, use 'invoice'.

Remember, if you have a question that you'd like us to answer, you can email us too at: questions.chinaelt@bbc.co.uk

Buli
你还可以通过微博向我们提问。我们的微博账号是 “BBC英语教学”。Bye!

Georgie
Bye!

最新 你问我答

下载

下载文字稿
下载音频

播客

你问我答