boy
boy — 名詞
- boysingular
- boysplural
1. a child or teenager who is male, or sometimes a young man.
男孩
男性的孩子或少年
a child or teenager who is male, or sometimes a young man.
Aiko waved to the shy boy waiting by the school gate.
Aiko 向在校門旁等著的害羞男孩揮手。
boy referring to a male child in a concrete scene
The doctor said the baby boy was healthy and strong.
醫生說那個男嬰很健康，也很有精神。
common collocation: baby boy
Two older boys helped Wen carry his bike up the stairs.
兩個年紀較大的男孩幫 Wen 把腳踏車抬上樓梯。
As a small boy, Ravi loved drawing buses on scrap paper.
Ravi 小時候很愛在廢紙上畫公車。
pattern: as a boy = during childhood
- baby boy
- little boy
- young boy
- school boy
- girl
female child or teenager
文法句型
boy + age/size word
as a boy
用法筆記
Usually refers to a child or teenager. Distinguish from sense 5, where 'the boys' can mean adult male friends.
2. someone's male child, especially when a parent or family member is talking about
兒子
父母口中的男孩子
someone's male child, especially when a parent or family member is talking about him.
Priya has two boys, and both play the violin after school.
Priya 有兩個兒子，而且兩個人放學後都拉小提琴。
family use: have + number + boys
Omar phoned his mother to say her boy had passed the test.
Omar 打電話給母親，告訴她兒子已經通過考試了。
parent's point of view: her boy
The farmer walked home with his youngest boy after sunset.
日落後，那位農夫帶著自己最小的兒子走回家。
Mrs. Chen packed lunch for both boys before the early bus.
Mrs. Chen 趕在清晨班車前替兩個兒子裝好午餐。
- two boys
- both boys
- youngest boy
- her boy
- daughter
female child in relation to a parent
文法句型
have + number + boys
my/her/their boy
用法筆記
Used from a parent's or family's point of view. Distinguish from sense 1, which simply names a male child without the family relationship.
常見錯誤
3. an informal word for a male friend, or for a group of men you know well.
哥兒們
非正式指熟識的男性朋友們
an informal word for a male friend, or for a group of men you know well.
The boys from college meet every August at the same beach house.
大學那群哥兒們每年八月都會在同一間海邊小屋聚會。
informal plural: the boys
After work, Omar grabbed noodles with the boys from his team.
下班後，Omar 和隊上的哥兒們去吃麵。
with the boys = with male friends
Come on, boys, the taxi is here and we're late already.
快點，哥兒們，計程車到了，我們已經晚了。
direct address to a familiar male group
Nadia laughed when her uncle said, 'Ask one of the boys downstairs.'
Nadia 聽到舅舅說「去問樓下那幾個哥兒們」時笑了。
- the boys
- with the boys
- one of the boys
- my boys
文法句型
the boys
with the boys
one of the boys
用法筆記
Often plural. It works best for your own male friends or a familiar group; about unrelated adult men, it can sound too casual or patronizing.
常見錯誤
4. used after another noun for a young male worker, as in 'office boy' or 'delivery
男工；小工
某工作中的年輕男性助手
used after another noun for a young male worker, as in 'office boy' or 'delivery boy'; using it for an adult man is now offensive.
The hotel sent a bellboy upstairs with Hana's heavy suitcases.
飯店派了一名行李員上樓替 Hana 提重行李。
compound job title: bellboy
At sixteen, Yusuf worked as a delivery boy for the bakery.
十六歲時，Yusuf 在那家麵包店當送貨小工。
pattern: work as a delivery boy
The old manager still says office boy, which sounds rude today.
那位老經理還在說 office boy，今天聽來很失禮。
dated job title noted as rude today
A sign sought a stable boy to help feed the horses.
告示在找一名馬房男工來幫忙餵馬。
- office boy
- delivery boy
- stable boy
- bellboy
- boss
person in charge rather than a junior worker
文法句型
noun + boy
work as a/the ... boy
用法筆記
Usually appears inside older or fixed job titles. Using 'boy' on its own for an adult male worker can sound insulting or racist.
常見錯誤
5. someone described through the place or background he comes from, such as a Londo
在地小子
指來自某地或某背景的男性
someone described through the place or background he comes from, such as a London boy or a farm boy.
Diego is a London boy who still supports the same club.
Diego 是個道地的倫敦小子，現在還支持同一支球隊。
place name + boy
To her classmates, Sven was the farm boy from northern Jutland.
在同學眼中，Sven 仍是來自日德蘭北部的農村小子。
background label: farm boy
The article described Jin as a Seoul boy with big city confidence.
那篇文章把 Jin 形容成帶著大城市自信的首爾小子。
Though he lives abroad now, Tariq is still a Cairo boy to his cousins.
雖然現在住在國外，在表親眼中 Tariq 仍是個開羅小子。
- London boy
- farm boy
- local boy
- town boy
- outsider
someone not from that place or group
文法句型
place/background word + boy
用法筆記
Most often follows a place or background word. Distinguish from sense 1: the key idea here is origin or social background, not age.
6. a warm, approving name for the soldiers of your own country.
子弟兵
帶親切感地稱本國軍人
a warm, approving name for the soldiers of your own country.
Families gathered at the station to cheer the boys heading north.
家屬聚在車站替北上的子弟兵歡呼。
the boys referring affectionately to soldiers
The old poster asked everyone to send warm socks to our boys.
那張老海報請大家寄暖襪給我們的子弟兵。
fixed phrase: our boys
At the memorial, the mayor spoke proudly about the boys overseas.
在紀念儀式上，市長很自豪地談到海外的子弟兵。
Newspapers called the pilots our boys after the first victory.
報紙在首場勝利後把那些飛行員稱作我們的子弟兵。
- our boys
- the boys overseas
- cheer the boys
- support our boys
- troops
neutral and standard military term
- servicemen
more formal and explicitly male
- forces
broader, often including the whole military
- enemy
the opposing side rather than your own soldiers
文法句型
our boys
the boys + place adverb
用法筆記
Usually plural and often preceded by 'our'. The speaker is showing loyalty, sympathy, or pride toward soldiers on their own side.
7. a man viewed as behaving in the rough, playful, or simple way people often assoc
男人
指帶典型男性反應的人
a man viewed as behaving in the rough, playful, or simple way people often associate with men.
At the barbecue, the boys argued happily about which knife was best.
在烤肉會上，那些男人開心地爭論哪把刀最好用。
comment on stereotypically male behaviour
When the shelf fell, the boys all tried to fix it without reading the guide.
架子一倒下，那些男人全都想自己修，連說明書都不看。
boys used for a stereotyped male reaction
Leila sighed, 'Boys always turn a quiet game into a contest.'
Leila 嘆了口氣說：「男人總會把安靜的遊戲玩成比賽。」
general statement about men as a type
During the trip, the boys kept comparing watches and hiking shoes.
旅行時，那些男人一直在比手錶和登山鞋。
- typical boy reaction
- boys all together
- woman
adult female person
文法句型
boys + plural verb in general comments
用法筆記
Common in jokes, complaints, or broad comments about male behaviour. It often leans on stereotype, so use it carefully.
8. a deeply racist and outdated label for a Black adult male, often used by white e
種族蔑稱
舊時對黑人男性的極辱稱呼
a deeply racist and outdated label for a Black adult male, often used by white employers or officials in the past.
The teacher explained that boy in that 1930 letter is a racist insult.
老師解釋，那封 1930 年的信裡用的 boy 是種族蔑稱。
historical explanation of a racist use
A museum note warned visitors that employers once used boy to belittle Black workers.
博物館說明提醒參觀者，雇主過去曾用 boy 來貶低黑人勞工。
boy used to demean Black workers
The actor objected when the script had the sheriff say boy to a Black waiter.
劇本要警長對一位黑人服務生說 boy，演員因此提出異議。
pattern: say boy to someone
In class, Dr. Okafor said the word boy could show racist condescension.
在課堂上，Dr. Okafor 說 boy 這個字可能用來表現帶有種族歧視的輕蔑。
- call someone boy
- use boy as an insult
- the word boy in racist speech
文法句型
call someone boy
say boy to someone
用法筆記
Historical and racist. Do not use this word for a person. When it appears in books, films, or records, it usually needs explanation rather than repetition.
常見錯誤
Working all the time without relaxing is not healthy; you need to have fun too.
只工作不玩耍，聰明孩子也變傻
Mia studied all weekend, but all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.
Remember, all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, so take a break.
the boys in blue
idiomA phrase used to refer to the police.
警察
The boys in blue arrived quickly after the alarm went off.
Did you see the boys in blue chasing the thief down the street?
boys will be boys
idiomUsed to say that it is normal for boys or men to behave in a noisy or rough way.
男孩子就是這樣
When the kids started wrestling, their dad just said, "Boys will be boys."
The broken window was an accident, but boys will be boys.
jobs for the boys
idiomUsed to criticize when someone in power gives jobs to their friends or family instead of hiring fairly.
給自己人的工作
Many people complained that the new positions were just jobs for the boys.
The mayor's nephew got a city job, which looked like jobs for the boys.
man and boy
idiomFrom when someone was young until they were older, often used to describe a long period of time.
從小到大
He has worked at that factory, man and boy, for over forty years.
My grandfather fished these rivers, man and boy, since he was ten.
To show who is brave, skilled, or strong enough to handle a difficult situation.
區分出強者
The final exam will separate the men from the boys in this class.
This tough hike will sort out the men from the boys quickly.
boy — 感嘆詞
1. said at the beginning of a sentence when you feel strongly about something, or w
天啊；哇
放句首表驚訝、擔心或加強語氣
said at the beginning of a sentence when you feel strongly about something, or when you want extra force before what you say next.
Boy, that soup is hot enough to burn your tongue.
天啊，這湯燙得都快把舌頭燙傷了。
Boy, + statement showing strong feeling
Boy, I hope the last bus has not left yet.
天啊，希望末班公車還沒開走。
Boy, + clause showing worry
Boy, was Aunt Rosa angry about the muddy footprints.
哇，Aunt Rosa 看到那些泥腳印時真是氣壞了。
Boy, was + subject + adjective
Boy, what a storm we had after midnight.
天啊，半夜過後那場暴風雨可真大。
Boy, what a + noun for emphasis
- Boy, was ...
- Boy, what a ...
- Boy, I hope ...
- Boy, that ...
文法句型
Boy, + clause
Boy, was + subject + adjective!
用法筆記
Usually comes at the start of a sentence and is followed by a comma in writing. It strengthens the whole statement rather than naming a male child.