by
by — 副詞
1. used to say that something or someone moves past, especially without stopping; o
經過；在旁邊
從旁通過，或就在附近的位置
used to say that something or someone moves past, especially without stopping; or that time goes past; also used to say that someone or something is close at hand.
Marcus waved as the school bus drove by without stopping.
校車經過時沒有停下，Marcus 對它揮了揮手。
motion verb + by: drove by, walked by, ran by
Two whole years went by before Lina saw her cousin again.
整整兩年過去了，Lina 才再次見到她的表弟。
time + go by: years/days/hours went by
Please stop by Mrs. Chen's bakery and pick up a loaf of sourdough.
請順道去 Mrs. Chen 的麵包店，幫我買一條酸麵包。
A police officer stood close by, watching the busy crowd.
一名警察就站在附近，看著熙來攘往的人群。
Carlos sat quietly while the long parade marched by.
Carlos 安靜地坐著，看著長長的遊行隊伍從旁邊走過。
文法句型
go/walk/drive/run + by
stop + by
用法筆記
Frequently follows a motion verb (go, walk, drive, run, fly, march) or time noun (years, days, hours). 'Close by' and 'near by' express location; 'stop by' means to visit briefly without staying long.
常見錯誤
by — 介系詞
1. in passive sentences, marking which person, animal, or thing actually carried ou
由；被
被動句中標示動作的執行者
in passive sentences, marking which person, animal, or thing actually carried out the action.
The garden gate was painted bright red by Marcus last weekend.
上週末花園的門被 Marcus 漆成了鮮紅色。
passive verb + by + named agent
Lina's wallet was stolen by a thief on the crowded train.
Lina 的錢包在擁擠的火車上被一名小偷偷走了。
Hamlet was written by William Shakespeare more than four hundred years ago.
《哈姆雷特》是由 William Shakespeare 在四百多年前寫的。
The lamp was knocked over by the cat during the night.
那盞燈在夜裡被那隻貓撞倒了。
Our class is taught by Ms. Tanaka every Tuesday morning.
我們班每週二早上都由 Tanaka 老師上課。
- through
marks an intermediary rather than the direct doer
文法句型
passive verb + by + agent
用法筆記
Almost always follows a passive verb. The noun after 'by' is the doer; mention it only when you want the reader to know who did the action.
常見錯誤
2. naming the means, tool, or action through which something happens or is achieved
藉由；以
表達做事所用的方法或工具
naming the means, tool, or action through which something happens or is achieved.
Maya travels to school by bus every morning.
Maya 每天早上都搭公車去上學。
by + means of transport (no article)
You can pay the bill by credit card or in cash.
你可以用信用卡或現金付這筆帳單。
Carlos passed the exam by studying two hours every night.
Carlos 靠每晚念書兩個小時通過了考試。
I sent the photos by email so they would arrive faster.
我用 email 寄了那些照片，這樣會比較快到。
The little boy held his mother by the hand and smiled.
那個小男孩牽著媽媽的手，露出了微笑。
文法句型
by + noun (means/method)
by + -ing
用法筆記
With transport and communication ('by bus', 'by email'), drop the article. With body parts ('by the arm', 'by the hand'), keep 'the'. Distinguish from sense 1: here 'by' tells the reader HOW, not WHO.
常見錯誤
3. right next to a place, person, or thing, with very little space between them.
在……旁
緊鄰某人或某物的位置
right next to a place, person, or thing, with very little space between them.
Sarah sat by the window and watched the rain fall.
Sarah 坐在窗邊看著雨落下。
by + the + location noun
There is a small bakery by the train station on Oak Street.
在 Oak 街火車站旁有一家小麵包店。
The Watanabe twins played by the river all afternoon, skipping flat stones across the water.
Watanabe 家的雙胞胎整個下午都在河邊玩耍，把扁石頭打水漂。
Marcus stood by his sister during the family photo.
拍全家福時，Marcus 站在妹妹身旁。
Please leave the heavy book boxes by the back door for the movers.
請把那幾箱沉甸甸的書放在後門旁，等搬家工人來拿。
- far from
opposite of immediate closeness
文法句型
by + place noun
用法筆記
Suggests immediate closeness, often touching or within arm's reach — closer than 'near'. Typically used with a stationary object or person, not a route or means (compare sense 2).
常見錯誤
4. at some point before the time mentioned, and not after it.
在……之前
不晚於某時間，最遲到該時間
at some point before the time mentioned, and not after it.
Please send your scholarship application to Dr. Patel by Friday at noon.
請在週五中午前把你的獎學金申請表寄給 Dr. Patel。
by + specific deadline
Marcus had finished all his homework by eight o'clock.
Marcus 在八點之前就把所有功課寫完了。
past perfect + by + clock time
Our tour group must leave the hotel by ten to catch the Capri ferry.
我們的旅行團必須在十點前離開飯店，才趕得上前往 Capri 的渡輪。
Aunt Rosa's leaking kitchen roof should be repaired by the end of next week.
Aunt Rosa 廚房漏水的屋頂下週末前應該就會修好。
By the time Lina arrived, the meeting was already over.
等到 Lina 抵達時，會議早就結束了。
- before
very close, but 'by' more often suggests an exact cut-off
- no later than
more formal; common in written deadlines
- after
opposite direction in time
文法句型
by + time/date
用法筆記
Means 'no later than' — the action can happen earlier, but not after. Distinguish from 'until', which describes a continuous action lasting up to that point: 'work until 5' (keep working) vs 'finish by 5' (be done).
常見錯誤
5. introducing the size of a difference, gap, or change between two values, or stat
差；相差
表示差距、變化幅度或物體尺寸
introducing the size of a difference, gap, or change between two values, or stating the two measurements of a flat object such as a rug or room.
House prices in Taipei rose by ten percent last year.
去年台北的房價漲了百分之十。
rise/fall + by + amount of change
Marcus is taller than his brother by about five centimetres.
Marcus 比他弟弟高約五公分。
The kitchen rug is two metres by three metres.
那塊廚房地毯是兩公尺乘三公尺。
Our team lost the basketball final by just three points.
我們的隊伍在籃球決賽以僅僅三分之差落敗。
Lina won the race by less than a second.
Lina 以不到一秒之差贏得比賽。
文法句型
verb + by + amount
[number] by [number]
用法筆記
After verbs of change ('rise by', 'increase by', 'fall by'), the noun after 'by' names the size of the change, not the new total. The dimension pattern '[length] by [width]' uses no article. Distinguish from sibling sense 7 'PER UNIT' (paid by the hour, charged by the day): that sense fixes a rate of payment per unit of time, whereas this sense reports a one-off gap or measurement.
常見錯誤
6. sitting between two copies of the same word, in the fixed pattern 'X by X', to s
一一地；逐步
重複同一名詞，表示逐步累積的變化
sitting between two copies of the same word, in the fixed pattern 'X by X', to say that change builds up steadily one X at a time (day by day, step by step, little by little).
Day by day, Marcus grew stronger after his surgery.
手術後，Marcus 一天比一天更強壯。
fixed pattern: noun + by + same noun
The flood waters rose minute by minute as the storm continued.
暴風雨持續肆虐，洪水一分鐘一分鐘地往上漲。
Little by little, Lina learned to speak Mandarin without an accent.
Lina 一點一點地學會說沒有口音的中文。
Step by step, the team rebuilt the old wooden bridge.
團隊一步一步地把那座老木橋重建起來。
Year by year, the quiet fishing village of Hualien has become a popular tourist town.
一年又一年，安靜的花蓮漁村變成了熱門的觀光小鎮。
- gradually
single adverb, not the X-by-X pattern
- all at once
the change happens in a single moment, not in stages
文法句型
noun + by + (same) noun
用法筆記
Only works in the fixed pattern 'X by X' with the same noun repeated (day by day, step by step, little by little). Distinguish from sense 5: there 'by' precedes a single amount; here it sits between two copies of the same word and signals gradual progress.
常見錯誤
7. in the pattern 'by the + [time or quantity unit]', stating the unit on which som
以……為單位
依時間或數量單位計算或發生
in the pattern 'by the + [time or quantity unit]', stating the unit on which something is paid, charged, or counted, or noting that a change happens on every fresh unit (by the hour, by the day, by the kilo).
Marcus was paid by the hour at the bookshop on Hamilton Street.
Marcus 在 Hamilton Street 那家書店上班，是以小時計薪的。
by + the + [unit of time] for rate of payment
The flood waters were rising by the minute, so Lina ran upstairs.
洪水一分一分地往上漲，Lina 趕緊跑上樓。
by the minute showing rapid change
Aunt Rosa felt stronger by the day after leaving the hospital.
Aunt Rosa 出院之後，身體一天比一天有力氣。
The taxi driver charges by the kilometre once you leave the city centre.
計程車司機一出市中心就開始按公里計費。
Visitor numbers at the museum grew by the week during the summer.
整個夏天，博物館的訪客人數一週一週往上增加。
文法句型
happen + by + the + [time unit]
用法筆記
Almost always followed by 'the' plus a singular time unit (the hour, the day). Distinguish from sense 5 'AMOUNT' (by + amount of difference) and sibling sense 6 'RATE OF CHANGE' (improving day by day) — this sense answers 'how often' or 'on what unit' something is counted or paid.
常見錯誤
8. during a particular part of the day, or while a particular condition holds — typ
在……時段
在白天或夜裡的時段中
during a particular part of the day, or while a particular condition holds — typically in the fixed pairings 'by day' and 'by night'.
Marcus works in a quiet office by day and plays jazz by night.
Marcus 白天在安靜的辦公室上班，晚上則去演奏爵士樂。
by day / by night contrast
The narrow cobbled streets of old Lisbon felt completely different by night.
Lisbon 老城區那幾條鋪著鵝卵石的窄巷，到了晚上感覺完全是另一個樣子。
by night without article
Owls hunt by night and sleep in tall pine trees by day.
貓頭鷹晚上出來獵食，白天就在高高的松樹上睡覺。
By day the fishing village looked sleepy, but the harbour buzzed at sunset.
白天這個漁村看起來懶洋洋的，但是一到傍晚港口就熱鬧起來。
文法句型
by + day / night
用法筆記
Restricted almost entirely to the set phrases 'by day' and 'by night' with no article. Distinguish from sibling sense 4 'NOT LATER THAN' ('by Monday' = deadline): this sense names the period something happens within, not a cut-off point.
常見錯誤
9. naming the area — job, inborn character, or origin — that explains why a descrip
就……而言
就職業、本性、出身等方面來說
naming the area — job, inborn character, or origin — that explains why a description fits a person, as in 'a teacher by profession' or 'shy by nature'.
Carlos is a teacher by profession but a poet at heart.
Carlos 職業上是老師，但骨子裡是個詩人。
by profession naming someone's job
Lina is shy by nature and prefers small dinner parties.
Lina 天性怕生，比較喜歡小型的晚餐聚會。
by nature describing inborn character
Dr. Tanaka is Japanese by birth but grew up in São Paulo.
Dr. Tanaka 是日本出生的，但是在 São Paulo 長大。
Marcus is a doctor by training but works as a journalist now.
Marcus 學的是醫學，但現在當記者。
The mayor is a lawyer by training and still reads court papers for fun.
市長本來學的是法律，到現在還會看法院文件當作消遣。
- in terms of
looser paraphrase: 'in terms of training' = 'by training'
文法句型
by + nature / profession / trade / birth
用法筆記
Follows a noun phrase and takes a bare noun (no article): 'by profession', 'by nature', 'by trade', 'by birth', 'by training'. Often appears after 'be + indefinite noun' or contrasts two facts about a person ('a teacher by profession but a poet at heart').
常見錯誤
10. in the fixed expressions 'fine by me', 'OK by me', 'all right by Lisa', etc., us
可以；沒問題
對某項提議不反對、表示同意
in the fixed expressions 'fine by me', 'OK by me', 'all right by Lisa', etc., used to say that someone has no objection and is happy for the thing to go ahead.
If Marcus wants to skip dessert and go for a walk, that's fine by me.
如果 Marcus 想跳過甜點直接去散步，我是沒意見的。
fine by + person showing agreement
Moving the meeting to Friday is all right by Lina, but check with Dr. Tanaka.
把會議改到星期五，Lina 那邊沒問題，但是要問一下 Dr. Tanaka。
all right by + person
'Shall we order pizza tonight?' 'OK by me — I'm starving.'
「我們今天晚上叫披薩好嗎？」「我可以啊——我餓死了。」
Sharing the prize money equally is fine by everyone on the quiz team.
獎金平分這件事，對益智競賽隊上的每個人來說都沒問題。
文法句型
fine / OK / all right + by + [person]
用法筆記
Only works after 'fine', 'OK', 'all right', and a few similar approval words; you cannot extend it to other adjectives ('happy by me' is wrong). Often replies to a proposal. Distinguish from sense 1 'AGENT' (passive 'done by me'): this sense expresses approval, not authorship.