“wrong”在这里指的并非错误，而是不法行为，即指侵害他人权利、致人损害的行为。它尤其指侵权行为tort。A wrong may be described, in the largest sense, as anything done or omitted contrary to legal duty, considered in so far as it gives rise to liability。

而“private wrong”和“public wrong”则为常见的两种不法行为：

Private wrong指的是侵犯个人的不法行为，即可以为个人提供救济的不法行为，例如侵权行为、违约行为等。其也常被称为civil wrong，民事不法行为（指因违反法律义务导致产生损害，从而引起要求民事救济——通常为损害赔偿——的民事请求权的行为。 ）A private wrong, also called a civil wrong, is a violation of public or private rights that injures an individual and consequently is subject to civil redress or compensation. A civil wrong that is not based on breach of contract is a TORT.

而public wrong则指的是公共不法行为，即行为人应当对整个社会承担责任的不法行为，例如犯罪、违法行为或是其他违反公法规定的行为。Public wrong is an offense committed against a community. The state will be a party in proceedings against public wrong. All public wrongs are not crimes. They may also be of civil nature. Punishments such as indictments, summary proceedings, death penalty imprisonment and fine may be imposed on a public wrong doer.

以下为相关双语示例，供参考：

A tort, in common law jurisdictions, is a wrong that involves a breach of a civil duty (other than a contractual duty) owed to someone else. It is differentiated from a crime, which involves a breach of duty owed to society in general.

在普通法国家，侵权行为是指违反了对其他人负有的民事义务（非合同义务）的不法行为。

One proposed definition is that a crime or offence (or criminal offence) is an act harmful not only to some individual but also to a community, society, or the state ("a public wrong"). Such acts are forbidden and punishable by law.

其中提出的一个定义是犯罪（或刑事犯罪）指不仅对个人同时对社区、社会或国家都有害的行为（“公共不法行为）。这种行为是法律禁止的，应受惩罚的。