luck
luck — 名詞
1. an invisible power that brings good events into your life by accident, not becau
運氣
讓好事意外發生的力量
an invisible power that brings good events into your life by accident, not because you planned or worked for them.
Kofi found a hundred dollars on the street — what incredible luck!
Kofi 在街上撿到一百美元——真是難以置信的好運!
collocation: incredible / pure / amazing luck
Eliska touched the wooden table for good luck before she went on stage.
Eliska 在上舞台前摸了摸木桌,祈求好運。
common phrase: for good luck (ritual/gesture)
Reuben said their victory was pure luck, not real skill.
Reuben 說他們的勝利純屬運氣,並非真正的實力。
Tanvi's luck changed when she found the missing ring under the sofa.
Tanvi 在沙發下找到了那枚遺失的戒指,運氣就此轉變。
Asher wished his sister good luck as she walked into the exam room.
Asher 在妹妹走進考場時祝她好運。
- fortune
more formal; 'fortune' can also mean wealth, while 'luck' cannot
- serendipity
formal; describes happy accidents, especially discoveries
- providence
formal or religious; implies a guiding divine force, not blind chance
- misfortune
formal term for bad luck or an unlucky event
文法句型
have + luck
wish (someone) + luck
a stroke of + luck
用法筆記
Uncountable noun — never 'a luck' or 'lucks'. Common with adjectives such as good, bad, pure, incredible, amazing. The phrase 'good luck' can be an exclamation (wishing someone success) or a noun phrase ('She has good luck with everything').
常見錯誤
2. the situation of getting the result you wanted, when that result depends mainly
好運;結果
因運氣而順利達成
the situation of getting the result you wanted, when that result depends mainly on chance rather than skill.
Manuela had no luck finding a rental apartment in her price range.
Manuela 一直找不到負擔得起的出租公寓。
negative pattern: have no luck + -ing
Henry tried three different shops but had no luck with the book.
Henry 跑了三家店,都沒找到那本書。
negative pattern: have no luck with [noun]
Mayumi asked whether I had any luck with the car repairs.
Mayumi 問我修車順不順利。
Walid wished me luck before I went into the interview room.
Walid 在我走進面試室前祝我好運。
Owen had some luck at the flea market and found a vintage lamp he wanted.
Owen 在跳蚤市場運氣不錯,找到了他想要的 vintage 檯燈。
- success
broader — success can come from effort; 'luck' always implies chance played a part
文法句型
have + (no / any / some) + luck + with + noun
have + (no / any / some) + luck + -ing
用法筆記
In this sense, 'luck' is used informally to ask about or describe the outcome of an effort. Questions like 'Any luck?' and answers like 'No luck so far' are very common in everyday speech. The focus is on the result, not the abstract force.
常見錯誤
3. the unpredictable force that decides what happens in people's lives, producing e
命運;造化
決定人生際遇的不可控力量
the unpredictable force that decides what happens in people's lives, producing either good or bad results that they cannot control through their own actions.
Bao believes that luck plays a big part in every success story.
Bao 認為運氣在每個成功故事中都扮演了重要角色。
collocation: luck plays a (big) part / role
By a stroke of luck, the train arrived just as Christopher reached the platform.
彷彿是命運的安排,Christopher 抵達月台時火車剛好進站。
fixed phrase: a stroke of luck (sudden fortunate event)
Sora accepted whatever happened as the work of luck, both good and bad.
Sora 坦然接受發生的一切,認為是好運與壞運的共同作用。
Grandma said that luck had brought their family through many difficult years together.
奶奶說,是運氣帶領他們一家人一起度過了許多艱難的歲月。
Nellie called it a twist of luck that she met her old friend at the airport.
Nellie 覺得在機場遇到老朋友只是一個簡單的命運轉折。
文法句型
by + luck
as + luck + would + have + it
a matter of + luck
用法筆記
This sense is more neutral than sense 1 — it can refer to good or bad outcomes. It appears in many fixed expressions such as 'as luck would have it', 'by luck', 'a twist of luck'. Unlike sense 1, it is not limited to positive fortune, and it is often used to talk about how events unfold in a way that people cannot explain.
luck — 動詞
1. to achieve a good result because of good fortune, not because of your own effort
走運;僥倖
靠運氣而非實力成功
to achieve a good result because of good fortune, not because of your own effort or ability.
The school team really lucked out when their strongest rival withdrew from the match.
學校代表隊真的走運了——他們最強的對手退出了比賽。
phrasal verb: luck out — succeed by good fortune
Mira lucked into a fantastic job when her friend recommended her to the manager.
Mira 靠朋友推薦給經理,僥倖得到了一份很棒的工作。
Nia and her friends lucked out and got the last two tickets for the concert.
Nia 和朋友運氣很好,拿到了演唱會最後兩張票。
Yan lucked out when his landlord agreed to lower the rent by two hundred dollars.
Yan 走運了——房東同意將租金調降兩百美元。
- stumble into
suggests less deliberate action; 'stumble into' often implies you were not even trying
- fall into
similar to 'luck into' but can also mean by poor judgment, not just good fortune
文法句型
luck + out
luck + into + noun
用法筆記
Almost always used with the particles 'out' or 'into'. 'Luck out' (American English) means to be very fortunate in a situation. 'Luck into' means to get something good without planning. Neither is used in formal writing.
常見錯誤
2. to find or obtain something good unexpectedly, without having been searching for
巧合得到
意外發現好東西
to find or obtain something good unexpectedly, without having been searching for it.
Élise lucked upon a rare signed book at the flea market for just five dollars.
Élise 在跳蚤市場意外發現了一本珍稀的簽名書,只要五美元。
phrasal verb: luck upon — find by chance
Nellie lucked on a quiet little café while wandering through the old part of town.
Nellie 在老城區閒逛時,碰巧找到了一家安靜的小咖啡館。
Lucía lucked into a box of vintage records that someone had left on the sidewalk.
Lucía 偶然發現了一箱被人放在人行道旁的 vintage 黑膠唱片。
Ryo lucked upon an open parking spot right in front of the restaurant.
Ryo 碰巧在餐廳正前方找到了一個空的停車位。
- stumble upon
more common; can describe finding good or neutral things, not only desirable ones
- come across
neutral; does not carry the implication of good fortune
文法句型
luck + upon/on/into + noun
用法筆記
The particles 'upon', 'on', and 'into' are largely interchangeable, though 'upon' sounds slightly more literary. The object is always something desirable; unlike the noun senses, the verb cannot describe finding something bad.