An avatar is the graphical representation of the user or the users alter ego or character. It may take either a three|dimensional form, as in games or virtual worlds, or a two|dimensional form as an icon in Internet forums and other online communities. It is an object representing the user.
Avatar指可以代表用户个人或其性格的一个图像，即大家常说的头像或个人秀。这个头像可以是网游或者虚拟世界里三维立体的图像，也可以是互联网平台或社区里常见的二维平面图像。它是可以代表用户本人的一个标志物。
The use of the term avatar for the on|screen representation of the user was coined in 1985 by Chip Morningstar and Joseph Romero in designing LucasFilms online role|playing game Habitat, coming from the term s original meaning of a descent of the Supreme Being in Hinduism, translated as incarnation or manifestation in English.
最早用avatar这个词来指代用户互联网形象的是切普 莫宁斯塔和约瑟夫 罗梅罗，他们在1985年为卢卡斯影视公司设计互联网角色饰演游戏时用了这个词，取自于avatar这个词在印度教中的原始意思圣人即将来临，也就是化身或者代表的意思。
