The half note. Here's one gesture; here's another gesture.

二分音符，这是一个动作，这是另外一个动作。

How can we get a half note that actually equals now three quarter notes?

我们怎么加上一个二分音符，从而正好代表了三个四分音符呢？

Thus a dotted half note or minim is equal in length to three quarter notes or crotchets.

半音加符点，时值等于三个四分音符。

And this whole note obviously can be subdivided into two half notes and each of the half notes into two quarter notes each of these quarter notes into two eighth notes, and so on.

这个全音符，很明显，可以再分为两个半音符，每个半音符又可以再细分为两个四分之一音符，每个四分之一音符可以再分为两个八分之一音符，等等。

For example, one four-beat measure could contain a single whole note held for all four beats, two half notes of two beats apiece, four quarter notes of a beat each, and so on.

例如，一个四拍的曲子可以包含一个全音符，它可以是全部的四个节拍，可以是每两个节拍的两个二分音符，可以是每个节拍的四个四分音符，等等。