我在wikipedia找到了这样的定义：
Outside America, the rule of thumb is that a clear wood finish formulated to be sprayed is a lacquer but if it is formulated to be brushed on then it is a varnish.
就是说在美国以外的地方，lacquer主要是用作喷的，而varnish主要是用作刷的。
One of the most protective finishes available, varnishes have very good resistance against abrasion, wear, Many furniture factories and large volume refinishers use lacquers because of their fast-drying characteristics the tradeoff we believe to be time v. quality. Oil based varnish does not dry very quickly, therefore it will take longer to complete a finishing project using varnish as opposed to lacquer, but the upside is a more durable, quality finish.
这是说varnish更耐磨，但油性的varnish干得很慢，比起lacquer来说要更长的时间才能完成作品，而大部分的家具厂都用lacquer因为干得快。
