《C++ Primer》
The general form for the named cast notation is the following:
命名的强制类型转换符号的一般形式如下：
cast-name<type>(expression);
cast-name may be one of static_cast, const_cast, dynamic_cast, or reinterpret_cast. type is the target type of the conversion, and expression is the value to be cast. The type of cast determines the specific kind of conversion that is performed on the expression.
其中 cast-name 为 static_cast、dynamic_cast、const_cast 和reinterpret_cast 之一，type 为转换的目标类型，而 expression 则是被强制转换的值。强制转换的类型指定了在 expression 上执行某种特定类型的转换。
dynamic_cast
A dynamic_cast supports the run-time identification of objects addressed either by a pointer or reference. We cover dynamic_cast in Section 18.2 (p. 772).
dynamic_cast 支持运行时识别指针或引用所指向的对象。对 dynamic_cast 的讨论将在第 18.2 节中进行。
const_cast
A const_cast, as its name implies, casts away the constness of its expression. For example, we might have a function named string_copy that we are certain reads, but does not write, its single parameter of type char*. If we have access to the code, the best alternative would be to correct it to take a const char*. If that is not possible, we could call string_copy on a const value using a const_cast:
const_cast ，顾名思义，将转换掉表达式的 const 性质。例如，假设有函数 string_copy，只有唯一的参数，为 char* 类型，我们对该函数只读不写。在访问该函数时，最好的选择是修改它让它接受 const char* 类型的参数。如果不行，可通过 const_cast 用一个 const 值调用 string_copy 函数：
const char *pc_str;
char *pc = string_copy(const_cast<char*>(pc_str));
Only a const_cast can be used to cast away constness. Using any of the other three forms of cast in this case would result in a compile-time error. Similarly, it is a compile-time error to use the const_cast notation to perform any type conversion other than adding or removing const.
只有使用 const_cast 才能将 const 性质转换掉。在这种情况下，试图使用其他三种形式的强制转换都会导致编译时的错误。类似地，除了添加或删除 const 特性，用 const_cast 符来执行其他任何类型转换，都会引起编译错误。
static_cast
Any type conversion that the compiler performs implicitly can be explicitly requested by using a static_cast:
编译器隐式执行的任何类型转换都可以由 static_cast 显式完成：
double d = 97.0;
// cast specified to indicate that the conversion is intentional
char ch = static_cast<char>(d);
Such casts are useful when assigning a larger arithmetic type to a smaller type. The cast informs both the reader of the program and the compiler that we are aware of and are not concerned about the potential loss of precision. Compilers often generate a warning for assignments of a larger arithmetic type to a smaller type. When we provide the explicit cast, the warning message is turned off.
当需要将一个较大的算术类型赋值给较小的类型时，使用强制转换 非常有用。此时，强制类型转换告诉程序的读者和编译器：我们知道并且不关心潜在的精度损失。对于从一个较大的算术类型到一个较小类型的赋值，编译器通常会 产生警告。当我们显式地提供强制类型转换时，警告信息就会被关闭。
A static_cast is also useful to perform a conversion that the compiler will not generate automatically. For example, we can use a static_cast to retrieve a pointer value that was stored in a void* pointer (Section 4.2.2, p. 119):
如果编译器不提供自动转换，使用 static_cast 来执行类型转换也是很有用的。例如，下面的程序使用 static_cast 找回存放在 void* 指针中的值（第 4.2.2 节）：
void* p = &d; // ok: address of any data object can be stored in a void*
// ok: converts void* back to the original pointer type
double *dp = static_cast<double*>(p);
When we store a pointer in a void* and then use a static_cast to cast the pointer back to its original type, we are guaranteed that the pointer value is preserved. That is, the result of the cast will be equal to the original address value.
可通过 static_cast 将存放在 void* 中的指针值强制转换为原来的指针类型，此时我们应确保保持指针值。也就是说，强制转换的结果应与原来的地址值相等。
reinterpret_cast
A reinterpret_cast generally performs a low-level reinterpretation of the bit pattern of its operands.
reinterpret_cast 通常为操作数的位模式提供较低层次的重新解释。
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A reinterpret_cast is inherently machine-dependent. Safely using reinterpret_cast requires completely understanding the types involved as well as the details of how the compiler implements the cast. reinterpret_cast 本质上依赖于机器。为了安全地使用 reinterpret_cast，要求程序员完全理解所涉及的数据类型，以及编译器实现强制类型转换的细节。 |
As an example, in the following cast
例如，对于下面的强制转换：
int *ip;
char *pc = reinterpret_cast<char*>(ip);
the programmer must never forget that the actual object addressed by pc is an int, not a character array. Any use of pc that assumes it's an ordinary character pointer is likely to fail at run time in interesting ways. For example, using it to initialize a string object such as
程序员必须永远记得 pc 所指向的真实对象其实是 int 型，而并非字符数组。任何假设 pc 是普通字符指针的应用，都有可能带来有趣的运行时错误。例如，下面语句用 pc 来初始化一个 string 对象：
string str(pc);
is likely to result in bizarre run-time behavior.
它可能会引起运行时的怪异行为。
The use of pc to initialize str is a good example of why explicit casts are dangerous. The problem is that types are changed, yet there are no warnings or errors from the compiler. When we initialized pc with the address of an int, there is no error or warning from the compiler because we explicitly said the conversion was okay. Any subsequent use of pc will assume that the value it holds is a char*. The compiler has no way of knowing that it actually holds a pointer to an int. Thus, the initialization of str with pc is absolutely correctalbeit in this case meaningless or worse! Tracking down the cause of this sort of problem can prove extremely difficult, especially if the cast of ip to pc occurs in a file separate from the one in which pc is used to initialize a string.
用 pc 初始化 str 这个例子很好地说明了显式强制转换是多么的危险。问题源于类型已经改变时编译器没有提供任何警告或错误提示。当我们用 int 型地址初始化 pc 时，由于显式地声明了这样的转换是正确的，因此编译器不提供任何错误或警告信息。后面对 pc 的使用都假设它存放的是 char* 型对象的地址，编译器确实无法知道 pc 实际上是指向 int 型对象的指针。因此用 pc 初始化 str 是完全正确的——虽然实际上是无意义的或是错误的。查找这类问题的原因相当困难，特别是如果 ip 到 pc 的强制转换和使用 pc 初始化 string 对象这两个应用发生在不同文件中的时候。
Advice: Avoid Casts建议：避免使用强制类型转换By using a cast, the programmer turns off or dampens normal type-checking (Section 2.3, p. 44). We strongly recommend that programmers avoid casts and believe that most well-formed C++ programs can be written without relying on casts. 强制类型转换关闭或挂起了正常的类型检查（第 2.3 节）。强烈建议程序员避免使用强制类型转换，不依赖强制类型转换也能写出很好的 C++ 程序。 This advice is particularly important regarding use of reinterpret_casts. Such casts are always hazardous. Similarly, use of const_cast almost always indicates a design flaw. Properly designed systems should not need to cast away const. The other casts, static_cast and dynamic_cast, have their uses but should be needed infrequently. Every time you write a cast, you should think hard about whether you can achieve the same result in a different way. If the cast is unavoidable, errors can be mitigated by limiting the scope in which the cast value is used and by documenting all assumptions about the types involved. 这个建议在如何看待 reinterpret_cast 的使用时非常重要。此类强制转换总是非常危险的。相似地，使用 const_cast 也总是预示着设计缺陷。设计合理的系统应不需要使用强制转换抛弃 const 特性。其他的强制转换，如 static_cast 和 dynamic_cast，各有各的用途，但都不应频繁使用。每次使用强制转换前，程序员应该仔细考虑是否还有其他不同的方法可以达到同一目的。如果非强制转换不可，则应限制强制转换值的作用域，并且记录所有假定涉及的类型，这样能减少错误发生的机会。 |