means
/miːnz/ (bre, ipa) · /miːnz/ (ame, ipa)
means — 名詞
- meanssingular
- meansesplural
1. A system, tool, or process that you use to reach a particular goal or carry out
方法
達到某種結果的方式或工具
A system, tool, or process that you use to reach a particular goal or carry out an action.
The bus is the cheapest means of getting around the city in Taipei.
公車是在臺北市區最便宜的移動方式。
means of + gerund for method
Painting became Nkechi's only means of expressing feelings she could not put into words.
畫畫成了 Nkechi 表達她無法說出口的感受的唯一方法。
The teacher used pictures as a means of explaining the new words to the class.
老師用圖片作為向全班解釋新單字的方法。
We need to find a better means of storing our data safely.
我們需要找到更好的方法來安全儲存資料。
A bicycle can be a fast means of travel in busy cities.
在繁忙的城市裡，腳踏車是一種快速的移動方式。
文法句型
means of + gerund/noun
means to + infinitive
用法筆記
The plural noun 'means' stays the same in both singular and plural forms. You say 'a means of transport' (not 'a mean of transport'). Use 'a means' for one method and 'means' for several methods.
常見錯誤
2. The money or financial resources that a person or organisation has available to
財力；財源
個人可運用的金錢
The money or financial resources that a person or organisation has available to spend, especially from income or savings.
Ryan's parents did not have the means to pay for his piano lessons.
Ryan 的父母沒有財力讓他上鋼琴課。
collocation: have the means to [do something]
The charity helps families whose means are limited by illness or job loss.
這個慈善機構幫助那些因疾病或失業而財力有限的家庭。
A government scholarship opened doors for Jin that his family's means could not reach.
一份政府獎學金為 Jin 打開了他家財力無法企及的大門。
The town had the means to build a new library after a local firm donated the funds.
在一間當地公司捐款之後，這個城鎮有財力建造一座新圖書館。
- poverty
the state of having very little money
文法句型
have the means to + infinitive
beyond/within one's means
用法筆記
In this sense 'means' behaves like an uncountable plural noun. It is not used with numbers ('three means' would mean three methods, not a large amount of money). Commonly paired with possessive adjectives: my means, his means, their means.
常見錯誤
3. A pattern of using up more financial resources than the amount that comes in — r
入不敷出
花費超過收入
A pattern of using up more financial resources than the amount that comes in — regularly buying goods or services that require borrowing beyond one's income.
After losing his job, Felix kept living beyond his means with credit cards.
失業後，Felix 仍然入不敷出，靠信用卡過日子。
fixed phrase: live beyond one's means
Mert warned his brother not to live beyond his means by buying an expensive car.
Mert 警告他哥哥不要買一輛昂貴的車，以免入不敷出。
When a whole country lives beyond its means, the national debt grows year after year.
當整個國家入不敷出時，國債就會逐年增加。
Lakshmi realised she was living beyond her means when her savings account ran dry after just three months.
Lakshmi 發現自己入不敷出，因為她的儲蓄帳戶才三個月就見底了。
It is easy to live beyond your means when you have a credit card with a high spending limit.
當你手上的信用卡額度很高時，很容易就會入不敷出。
- overspend
a single verb that means the same thing but is less common in everyday speech
- live within one's means
the opposite meaning — spending less than you earn
文法句型
live beyond one's means
用法筆記
This sense only appears in the fixed expression 'live beyond one's means'. The possessive (my, your, his, her, its, their) always agrees with the subject of 'live'.
4. To spend only as much money as you earn or can afford — the phrase describes car
量入為出
花費不超過收入
To spend only as much money as you earn or can afford — the phrase describes careful financial behaviour that keeps a person out of debt.
Apinya has learned to live within her means by cooking at home instead of eating out.
Apinya 學會了量入為出，在家做飯而不外食。
fixed phrase: live within one's means
Christopher and Adisa bought a smaller house so they could live within their means.
Christopher 和 Adisa 買了一間比較小的房子，這樣他們就能量入為出。
Living within your means does not mean giving up joy — it means planning your spending well.
量入為出不代表要放棄快樂——而是好好規劃你的開銷。
Ryan checked his bank balance each week to make sure he was still living within his means.
Ryan 每個星期都會檢查銀行餘額，確認自己仍然量入為出。
- budget
a verb that describes the active process of planning spending within one's limits
- live beyond one's means
the opposite meaning — spending more than you earn
文法句型
live within one's means
用法筆記
Like sense 3, this sense only appears in the fixed expression 'live within one's means'. It is the opposite of 'live beyond one's means' and is used with the same possessive agreement pattern.
5. A person who is rich and has enough money to live comfortably without financial
有錢人
富有的人
A person who is rich and has enough money to live comfortably without financial worries — describes someone with significant wealth, not just a modest income.
Élise married a man of means who owns several houses in Lyon.
Élise 嫁給了一位在里昂擁有幾棟房子的有錢人。
fixed phrase: a man/woman of means
The community centre was built with donations from a woman of means from the area.
這個社區中心的建設經費來自當地一位有錢女性的捐款。
In the novel, the hero is a person of means who secretly helps poor families in his town.
在小說中，主角是一位有錢人，他暗中幫助鎮上的貧困家庭。
The art gallery was founded by a woman of means who collected paintings for over forty years.
這間美術館是由一位有錢女性創立的，她收集畫作超過四十年。
- poor
having little money
文法句型
a [person] of means
用法筆記
This is a formal, literary expression. In everyday conversation, people are more likely to say 'a rich person' or 'a wealthy person'. The phrase 'a person of means' sounds old-fashioned or elegant.