Facebook has changed its corporate name to Meta as part of a major rebrand.

Facebook正式宣布将公司名更改为Meta。

The company said it would better "encompass" what it does, as it broadens its reach beyond social media into areas like virtual reality (VR).

该公司称，这个新名字能更好地"包容"旗下业务，不光是社交媒体，还有虚拟现实等即将拓展的新领域。

The word "meta" comes from the Greek word meaning "beyond".

Meta一词来自希腊语，意思是"超越"。

The change does not apply to its individual platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, only the parent company that owns them.

公司旗下的Facebook、Instagram和Whatsapp等单个平台将不会更名，只有母公司才使用Meta这个新名称。

Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg announced the new name as he unveiled plans to build a "metaverse" - an online world where people can game, work and communicate in a virtual environment, often using VR headsets.

Facebook老板马克•扎克伯格宣布新名称的同时还公布了打造"元宇宙"的计划。"元宇宙"是人们可以在虚拟环境中(通常通过佩戴虚拟现实头盔)玩游戏、工作和交流的一个网络世界。

He said the existing brand could not "possibly represent everything that we're doing today, let alone in the future", and needed to change.

扎克伯格表示，现有的品牌名称无法"代表我们现在所做的所有业务，更不用说将来的业务"，所以需要更改。

Zuckerberg said the new name reflects that over time, users will not need to use Facebook to use the company's other services.

扎克伯格称，新名字意味着，未来用户无需使用Facebook也可以使用公司的其他服务。