sail
sail — 動詞
1. To move across water — used when describing a boat or ship that is pushed by win
航行
船在水上行駛
To move across water — used when describing a boat or ship that is pushed by wind or an engine, or when describing people travelling in such a vessel.
The ferry sails between the two islands every morning.
這艘渡輪每天早晨航行於兩座島嶼之間。
sail between [two places]
Zola watched the little wooden boat sail slowly towards the harbour.
Zola 看著那艘小木船緩緩駛向港口。
Cargo ships sail across the Atlantic Ocean in about ten days.
貨船航行橫跨大西洋大約需要十天。
The cruise ship will sail from Barcelona to Rome next summer.
這艘遊輪明年夏天將從巴塞隆納航行到羅馬。
My grandparents sailed to America on a large passenger ship in 1970.
我的祖父母在 1970 年搭乘大型客輪航行到了美國。
- dock
to bring a ship into a port and stop it
文法句型
sail + adverb/preposition phrase
sail from [place] to [place]
用法筆記
Subject is always a boat, ship, or the people onboard. This sense never takes a direct object — use 'sail across', 'sail to', 'sail from' etc.
常見錯誤
2. To steer and manage a boat that moves by catching the wind in its sails — either
駕駛帆船
操控風帆船行駛
To steer and manage a boat that moves by catching the wind in its sails — either as a leisure activity, a sport, or a practical skill.
Liang learned to sail on his uncle's boat during summer holidays at the lake.
Liang 在暑假時於湖上跟著叔叔的船學會了駕駛帆船。
learn to sail
Selim sailed the small boat across the lake by himself for the first time.
Selim 第一次獨自將小船駕駛橫越湖面。
sail + [boat] + destination
Every summer the Patel family goes sailing on the wide river to prepare for the local boat race.
每年夏天 Patel 一家人都會到寬闊的河上駕駛帆船，為當地的比賽做準備。
Nila sails her small boat in weekend races and has won three trophies this year.
Nila 駕駛她的小帆船參加週末比賽，今年已經贏了三座獎盃。
Christopher spent the afternoon sailing his new boat around the bay.
Christopher 花了整個下午駕駛他的新船在海灣繞行。
文法句型
sail + object (boat)
go sailing
learn to sail
用法筆記
Frequently used in the fixed expression 'go sailing' to describe the leisure activity. When used transitively, the object is always a boat or ship, never a person.
常見錯誤
3. To leave a port or place and start a journey by water — used when a ship departs
啟航
乘船離開港口出發
To leave a port or place and start a journey by water — used when a ship departs or when passengers begin a sea voyage at a scheduled time.
The ship sails at dawn, so we need to be at the port by five.
船在黎明時啟航，所以我們必須五點前到達港口。
sail at [time] for departure
After a week in the harbour, the fleet finally sailed for the open ocean.
在港灣停泊一週後，船隊終於啟航駛向開闊的海洋。
sail for [destination]
The captain announced that they would sail at the next high tide.
船長宣布他們將在下一次漲潮時啟航。
Ada watched the cargo ship sail out of the harbour and disappear into the fog.
Ada 望著那艘貨輪駛出港口，消失在霧中。
- depart
general word for leaving, not limited to water travel; more formal
- leave port
a more specific maritime expression
文法句型
sail + adverb of time
sail from [place]
sail for [destination]
用法筆記
Frequently used with 'for' to indicate destination ('sail for Lisbon'), and with a time expression for the departure schedule ('sails at 6 p.m.').
常見錯誤
4. To move quickly, smoothly, and without effort — used for a person gliding confid
順暢移動
輕快平穩地移動
To move quickly, smoothly, and without effort — used for a person gliding confidently through a space, an object flying through the air, or someone completing a task with ease.
Manuela sailed through the interview and got the job the next day.
Manuela 順利通過了面試，隔天就得到了那份工作。
sail through [something] for easy success
The paper plane sailed across the classroom and landed on the teacher's desk.
紙飛機輕快地飛過教室，落在老師的桌上。
Christopher sailed past the security guard without stopping to show his pass.
Christopher 從警衛身旁悠然走過，完全沒有停下來出示通行證。
The frisbee sailed over the fence and landed in the neighbour's garden.
飛盤越過圍籬，掉進了鄰居的花園。
The dancer sailed across the stage as if the floor were made of clouds.
那位舞者輕盈地滑過舞台，彷彿地板是用雲做成的。
- glide
more physical; implies continuous smooth motion
- breeze through
informal; specifically about completing tasks with ease
- struggle
to move or proceed with difficulty
文法句型
sail + adverb/preposition phrase
sail through [something]
用法筆記
Common with 'through' when describing easy completion of a task, and with 'past' when describing moving without being stopped. Not used with a direct object.
常見錯誤
sail — 名詞
1. A strong sheet of material, often canvas, fixed to the mast of a boat so that th
帆
固定在船桅上利用風力推動船隻的布
A strong sheet of material, often canvas, fixed to the mast of a boat so that the wind fills it and drives the vessel forward on the water.
The sailor raised the sail as the wind began to blow from the east.
船員在東風吹起時升起了帆。
raise/lower the sail
A strong gust of wind tore a hole in the sail during the storm.
一陣強風在暴風雨中把帆撕破了一個洞。
The crew unfurled the white sails, and the boat began to glide across the calm harbour.
船員們張開白帆，船隻便在平靜的海港上開始滑行。
Pim helped his father fold the sail after they returned to the harbour.
Pim 在回到港口後幫忙父親折好帆。
Stefan checked the sails carefully before taking the boat out on the lake.
Stefan 在把船開到湖上之前仔細檢查了帆。
- canvas
technically the material sails are made from; sometimes used to mean 'sail' in literary contexts
文法句型
raise/lower a sail
the sails of a boat
用法筆記
The plural 'sails' is common because most boats have more than one. 'Set sail' (idiom) means to begin a journey — see noun sense 4.
常見錯誤
2. One of the long, flat blades attached to a windmill that catches the wind and tu
風車葉片
風車上受風吹動的葉片
One of the long, flat blades attached to a windmill that catches the wind and turns, creating power to grind grain or pump water.
The old wooden windmill still has four sails that turn in the afternoon breeze.
那座老舊的木造風車仍然有四面葉片在午後的微風中轉動。
sails of a windmill
One of the windmill's sails broke during the storm and had to be replaced.
風車的一片葉片在暴風雨中斷裂，必須更換。
The sails of the windmill turned slowly as the sun set behind the hills.
風車的葉片在夕陽西下時緩緩轉動。
The windmill's four wooden sails turned steadily, grinding wheat into flour for the village.
風車的四片木製葉片穩定地轉動，為村莊磨著小麥粉。
文法句型
the sails of a windmill
用法筆記
Most common in descriptions of traditional windmills. Modern wind turbines use the term 'blade' or 'turbine blade', not 'sail'.
3. A trip made in a boat or ship, especially one taken for enjoyment or as a short
航程
乘船出遊的行程
A trip made in a boat or ship, especially one taken for enjoyment or as a short excursion on the water.
We took a short sail around the bay to watch the sunset.
我們繞著海灣進行了一趟短暫的航程，欣賞日落。
take/go for a sail
The sail from Keelung to Okinawa takes about two days by ferry.
從基隆到沖繩的航程搭乘渡輪大約需要兩天。
Their first sail across the Atlantic Ocean was an unforgettable experience.
他們第一次橫越大西洋的航程是難忘的經歷。
Eliska invited her friends for a sail along the coast last Sunday.
Eliska 上週日邀請朋友們沿著海岸進行了一趟航程。
The two-hour sail around the island was the best part of our holiday.
環繞島嶼兩小時的航程是我們假期中最精采的部分。
文法句型
go for a sail
a sail around/across/to [place]
用法筆記
Often used in the fixed expressions 'go for a sail' and 'take a sail'. This sense is typically singular — 'a sail' not 'sails' — and usually refers to a leisure trip rather than commercial transport.
常見錯誤
4. The act of beginning a journey by boat or ship — used only in the fixed phrase '
出航
出發乘船旅行
The act of beginning a journey by boat or ship — used only in the fixed phrase 'set sail', meaning to depart from a port.
The adventurers set sail for the South Pacific early on Monday morning.
探險家們在星期一清晨出航前往南太平洋。
set sail for [destination]
After months of preparation, the crew finally set sail at sunrise.
經過數月的準備，船員們終於在日出時出航了。
The explorer set sail from Lisbon in search of a new trade route.
那位探險家從里斯本出航，尋找新的貿易路線。
The crew set sail on a clear morning with a strong wind behind them.
船員們在一個晴朗的早晨出航，身後吹著強勁的順風。
文法句型
set sail (for [place])
用法筆記
This sense is bound to the fixed phrase 'set sail'. 'Set' is always the verb; 'sail' is the noun within the phrase. Do not modify it (e.g. 'set a sail' or 'set sails' changes the meaning to the literal action of unfurling a sail).