by
[bˈaɪ] /bˈaɪ/ (ame, ipa) · /bˈaɪ/ (bre, ipa)
by — 介系詞
1. names who or what brings an action about, especially in passive clauses.
被；由
標出動作的執行者或原因
names who or what brings an action about, especially in passive clauses.
The mural was painted by a teacher from Tainan.
那幅壁畫是由一位來自台南的老師畫的。
passive: by + person who does the action
The alarm was triggered by steam from the shower.
警報器被淋浴冒出的蒸氣觸發了。
The bridge was designed by engineers from three countries.
這座橋是由來自三個國家的工程師設計的。
Greta felt calmed by the music from the next room.
Greta 因隔壁房間傳來的音樂而平靜下來。
文法句型
by + noun
用法筆記
Very common after passive verbs to name the person, thing, or force responsible for the action.
2. shows the method, means, or route used to do something.
藉由；透過
表示做事的方法或手段
shows the method, means, or route used to do something.
Kabir learned the song by listening to old radio shows.
Kabir 透過收聽老廣播節目學會了那首歌。
by + -ing to show method
The parcel will arrive by air before the weekend.
包裹會在週末前空運送達。
The twins solved the puzzle by working together after dinner.
那對雙胞胎晚飯後靠合作解開了謎題。
Isabela paid the museum fee by card at the entrance.
Isabela 在入口處刷卡付了博物館門票。
文法句型
by + noun
by + -ing
用法筆記
Use this sense for methods, transport, payment, and similar means of doing something.
3. means near the side of a person or thing.
在旁；靠近
表示在旁邊或附近
means near the side of a person or thing.
A yellow taxi was waiting by the hotel entrance.
一輛黃色計程車停在飯店入口旁等候。
by + place = next to
Salma sat by the window and revised her notes.
Salma 坐在窗邊複習筆記。
The dog slept by the heater through the storm.
那隻狗在暴風雨中一直睡在暖爐旁。
A bike rack stands by the library steps.
圖書館台階旁立著一排腳踏車架。
文法句型
by + place
用法筆記
This sense marks nearby position rather than movement.
4. means not later than a stated time, or before that point is reached.
截至；最晚
表示某事最晚的時間點
means not later than a stated time, or before that point is reached.
Please send the form by noon on Thursday.
請在星期四中午前寄出這份表格。
deadline: by + time
Greta promised to call me by eight tonight.
Greta 答應今晚八點前打給我。
All refunds must reach customers by Friday evening.
所有退款都必須在星期五晚上前到達顧客手中。
By the time we reached the pier, the boat had gone.
等我們到達碼頭時，船已經開走了。
文法句型
by + time expression
用法筆記
Use this sense for deadlines and latest possible times.
5. states dimensions, numerical change, or multiplication.
乘以；增加
表示尺寸、差額或乘算
states dimensions, numerical change, or multiplication.
The poster is two metres by one metre.
那張海報是二公尺乘一公尺。
measurements or numerical change
Our sales rose by 12 percent in April alone.
我們四月的銷售額增加了百分之十二。
The temperature dropped by three degrees after the storm.
氣溫在暴風雨後下降了三度。
Seven multiplied by five gives thirty-five on the board.
七乘以五在黑板上等於三十五。
文法句型
number + by + number
用法筆記
This sense covers size, amount, and arithmetic change.
6. shows that something changes a little more with each passing period.
逐漸；逐步
表示情況逐段慢慢變化
shows that something changes a little more with each passing period.
The crowd grew quieter minute by minute during the speech.
演講進行時，人群一分鐘一分鐘地逐漸安靜下來。
repeated units show gradual change
The garden looked greener day by day after the rain.
下雨後，花園一天比一天更綠。
Prices kept climbing month by month through the summer.
整個夏天，價格一個月一個月地持續上漲。
His ankle improved week by week after the surgery.
手術後，他的腳踝一週一週地好轉。
文法句型
minute by minute
day by day
用法筆記
Common with repeated time units to show steady development.
7. forms compounds that describe events or records one unit at a time.
按時段
用重複單位表示逐段記錄
forms compounds that describe events or records one unit at a time.
The nurse kept an hour-by-hour record of the baby's fever.
護士按時段記錄嬰兒每小時的發燒情況。
compound adjective: hour-by-hour
The report gives a day-by-day plan for the school trip.
那份報告列出校外教學逐日的安排。
Police released a minute-by-minute timeline of the fire.
警方公布了那場火災的逐分鐘時間線。
The team tracked its week-by-week progress on the wall chart.
團隊把每週進度記在牆上的圖表上。
文法句型
hour-by-hour
day-by-day
用法筆記
This sense is usually seen inside hyphenated compound modifiers.
8. means during a named part of the daily cycle, especially in fixed phrases.
在…期間
表示在白天夜晚等時段內
means during a named part of the daily cycle, especially in fixed phrases.
Some desert animals hide by day and hunt by night.
有些沙漠動物白天躲藏，夜晚獵食。
fixed phrase: by day / by night
The market looks sleepy by day but crowded by night.
那個市集白天很冷清，晚上卻很擁擠。
Fishing boats rested in the harbor by day and sailed at dusk.
漁船白天停在港內，黃昏時才出海。
The old theater is quiet by day and bright by night.
那座老戲院白天安靜，晚上燈火通明。
文法句型
by day
by night
用法筆記
Mostly appears in set expressions such as by day and by night.
9. introduces a person's natural character, job, profession, or background status.
天性；職業
說明天性、職業或出身
introduces a person's natural character, job, profession, or background status.
Isabela is calm by nature, even in heavy traffic.
Isabela 天生冷靜，即使塞車也不急躁。
by + nature/trade/profession/birth
By trade, Sari is a bicycle mechanic in Penang.
Sari 以修理腳踏車為業，工作地點在檳城。
The twins are artists by profession, not hobbyists.
那對雙胞胎以藝術家為職業，不是業餘玩家。
Mori is Brazilian by birth but lives in Taipei now.
Mori 生來是巴西人，但現在住在台北。
文法句型
by nature
by trade
用法筆記
This sense adds identifying information such as temperament, work, or origin.
10. means acceptable to a particular person or agreeable in that person's opinion.
對…來說
表示某事對某人可接受
means acceptable to a particular person or agreeable in that person's opinion.
We can meet online instead; that is fine by me.
我們改成線上見面吧；對我來說可以。
fine/all right by + person
A later start is perfectly all right by the coach.
晚一點開始對教練來說完全沒問題。
Can I switch seats? It is okay by us.
我可以換座位嗎？我們這邊可以。
Working from home twice a week is fine by HR.
每週在家工作兩天，對人資來說可以接受。
文法句型
fine by + person
all right by + person
用法筆記
Most often follows words like fine, all right, or okay.
11. means in accordance with a rule, standard, tradition, or source of judgment.
依；按照
表示依據規則或標準
means in accordance with a rule, standard, tradition, or source of judgment.
By law, children must wear seat belts in the car.
依法，兒童在車內必須繫安全帶。
by + rule, standard, or source
By tradition, the eldest child lights the first candle.
按照傳統，由長子或長女點亮第一根蠟燭。
By my watch, we still have ten minutes.
按我的錶來看，我們還有十分鐘。
By any standard, the meal was excellent last night.
依任何標準來看，昨晚那頓飯都很出色。
文法句型
by law
by tradition
用法筆記
Use this sense when a rule, standard, or point of reference is being applied.
12. describes movement that carries someone or something past another person or plac
經過；越過
表示從旁邊經過
describes movement that carries someone or something past another person or place.
The bus rushed by the stop without slowing down.
公車快速經過站牌，連速度都沒放慢。
movement past a place or person
A cyclist sped by us on the hill.
一名騎士在山坡上飛快地從我們身旁經過。
Christopher walked by the bakery and smelled fresh bread.
Christopher 走過麵包店時聞到新鮮麵包的香味。
The dog ran by the gate and disappeared into the field.
那隻狗跑過大門，消失在田野裡。
文法句型
move by + place
用法筆記
Unlike the nearby-position sense, this one focuses on passing movement.
by — 副詞
1. means moving past a point nearby, or passing in time.
經過；路過
作副詞表示從旁經過或流逝
means moving past a point nearby, or passing in time.
A red scooter rolled by just as the light changed.
就在號誌變燈時，一輛紅色機車從旁邊滑過。
adverb: movement or passing time
I waved as the parade went by outside.
遊行隊伍從外面經過時，我揮了揮手。
The summer holidays flew by far too quickly for us.
暑假一下子就飛快地過去了，讓我們措手不及。
An ambulance drove by at midnight outside the dorm.
半夜有一輛救護車從宿舍外面開過去。
用法筆記
This adverb often follows verbs of movement, and it can also describe time passing.
2. means kept aside for later use instead of being used now.
留著；存著
表示留起來備用
means kept aside for later use instead of being used now.
My grandmother still puts a little rice by for guests.
我外婆還是會留一點米給客人來時用。
keep or put by = save for later
They have ten thousand dollars by for emergencies.
他們留著一萬美元以備緊急情況。
Set a few clean towels by before the children swim.
孩子們游泳前，先把幾條乾淨毛巾留在一旁備用。
The farm keeps extra seed by for the winter.
那座農場會把多的種子存著留到冬天。
文法句型
put by
keep by
用法筆記
Usually found after verbs like put, keep, or set when saving something for later.
by — 名詞
1. a matter of only secondary importance compared with the main issue.
枝節；旁事
指次於主題的附帶事項
a matter of only secondary importance compared with the main issue.
In the budget debate, parking fees were only a by.
在預算辯論裡，停車費只是枝節。
noun: a secondary matter
Compared with patient safety, the poster design was a by.
和病人安全相比，海報設計只是旁事。
The delay in printing was a by, not the real problem.
印刷延誤只是枝節，不是真正的問題。
At the hearing, font size became a by beside the cost figures.
在聽證會上，字體大小和成本數字相比只是枝節。
用法筆記
This sense is rare and usually appears in formal or old-fashioned wording for a minor matter.
by — 形容詞
- bypositive
- biercomparative
- biestsuperlative
1. used for a side road, path, or passage away from the usual route.
支線的
表示位於主路之外
used for a side road, path, or passage away from the usual route.
We chose a by passage behind the church.
我們選了教堂後面那條支線通道。
by + route noun = side route
A by road took us around the flooded bridge.
一條支線道路讓我們繞過了淹水的橋。
The inn sits on a quiet by lane behind the market.
那家旅店位在市場後面一條安靜的岔巷上。
Tourists rarely notice the by path to the waterfall.
遊客很少注意到通往瀑布的那條支路小徑。
文法句型
by passage
by road
用法筆記
This sense is rare and mostly appears before nouns for side roads or passages.
2. secondary or resulting from something else rather than being the main point.
附帶的
表示主體之外的附帶影響
secondary or resulting from something else rather than being the main point.
The doctor warned us about a few by effects of the medicine.
醫生提醒我們這種藥有幾個附帶影響。
rare collocation: by effects
The report lists the by effects after the main results.
報告把附帶影響列在主要結果之後。
We can discuss the by effects once the repair is finished.
等修理完成後，我們再談那些附帶影響。
The grant covers the project itself, not its by effects.
這筆補助涵蓋的是計畫本身，不是它的附帶影響。
文法句型
by effects
用法筆記
A very rare sense, mainly seen in the fixed collocation by effects.