discretion
/dɪsˈkreʃən/noun
mass noun
1
- the quality of behaving or speaking in such a way as to avoid causing offence or revealing private information（言行的）谨慎; 慎重：
she knew she could rely on his discretion
她知道他小心谨慎, 是靠得住的
I'll be the soul of discretion.
我会非常谨慎。
2
- the freedom to decide what should be done in a particular situation斟酌决定（在特定情况下如何行事）的自由：
it is up to local authorities to use their discretion in setting the charges
如何收费由当地政府自行决定
honorary fellowships may be awarded at the discretion of the council.
荣誉奖学金颁发的权利掌握在委员会手中。
短语
discretion is the better part of valour
- proverb it's better to avoid a dangerous situation than to confront it〈谚〉谨慎即大勇。
词源
Middle English （in the sense 'discernment'）： via Old French from Latin discretio（n-） 'separation' （in late Latin 'discernment'）， from discernere （see DISCERN）.