efficiency
/ɪˈfɪʃnsi/ (bre, ipa) · /ɪˈfɪʃnsi/ (ame, ipa) · /i-ˈfi-shən-sē/ (ame, mw)
efficiency — 名詞
1. how well a system, machine, or process converts resources such as energy, fuel,
效能
用最少資源達到最大成果的特性
how well a system, machine, or process converts resources such as energy, fuel, or time into useful output — for example, a car engine that travels further on less petrol, or a factory that makes more products using fewer materials.
The new heating system improved the factory's energy efficiency by nearly thirty percent.
新的暖氣系統讓工廠的能源效能提升了將近百分之三十。
collocation: energy efficiency
Faisal redesigned the delivery routes to increase fuel efficiency across the whole fleet.
Faisal 重新設計了送貨路線，以提高整個車隊的燃油效能。
collocation: fuel efficiency
The engineer measured the efficiency of solar panels on the school roof.
工程師測量了學校屋頂上太陽能板的效能。
Ife was surprised how much the old boiler's efficiency had dropped after years of use.
Ife 很驚訝舊鍋爐的效能在使用多年後下降了這麼多。
Even a small gain in engine efficiency can save a firm thousands per year.
引擎效能即使只有小幅提升，也能為公司每年省下數千美元。
- effectiveness
Effectiveness is about achieving the intended result; efficiency is about achieving it with minimal waste.
- productivity
Productivity focuses on the amount of output per unit of input over time, while efficiency focuses on reducing waste across any resource.
- economy
Economy in this sense emphasizes saving money or resources, often in a broader financial context.
- inefficiency
The direct opposite — wasteful use of resources.
用法筆記
Commonly modified by adjectives that specify the type of resource: 'energy efficiency', 'fuel efficiency', 'cost efficiency'. The preposition 'of' introduces the system or device being measured.
常見錯誤
2. how well a person or group carries out tasks in an organised, productive manner,
效率
做事有條理、不浪費時間的狀態
how well a person or group carries out tasks in an organised, productive manner, making good use of time and avoiding wasted effort — for example, a kitchen team that serves hundreds of meals without falling behind.
The new software helped the team work with greater efficiency and far fewer delays.
新的軟體幫助團隊以更高的效率工作，延誤也大幅減少了。
preposition: with + efficiency
Lucas admired the kitchen staff's efficiency during the busy lunch service at the hotel.
Lucas 很佩服飯店廚房人員在午餐尖峰時段的工作效率。
Alessia runs the office with an efficiency that makes every coworker's job noticeably easier.
Alessia 管理辦公室的方式極具效率，讓每個同事的工作都輕鬆許多。
The manager praised her department for its efficiency in meeting every single deadline last quarter.
經理稱讚她的部門上季在如期完成每一項截止日方面的高效率。
The emergency team's efficiency saved lives when the storm hit the coastal town.
緊急小組的效率在暴風雨侵襲沿海小鎮時拯救了許多生命。
- effectiveness
Effectiveness stresses whether a goal is achieved at all; efficiency stresses how well resources are used while achieving it.
- competence
Competence refers to having the necessary skill or ability; efficiency refers to the speed and economy with which work is done.
- proficiency
Proficiency implies advanced skill gained through practice; efficiency is more about process than skill level.
- inefficiency
The direct opposite — disorganised, time-wasting work.
- disorganisation
Disorganisation is a cause of low efficiency; the two are closely related but not synonymous.
用法筆記
Often combined with 'in' followed by a gerund or noun ('efficiency in handling complaints', 'efficiency in communication'). Can be modified by 'greater', 'higher', 'improved', or 'remarkable'.
常見錯誤
3. a specific step or practice introduced in a business or institution to cut down
節省措施
為節省時間、能源或金錢而採取的做法
a specific step or practice introduced in a business or institution to cut down on wasted resources — for example, switching off equipment overnight or ordering supplies in larger batches.
The company introduced several energy efficiencies that cut their electricity bill by almost half.
公司實施了幾項節能措施，電費帳單因此減少了將近一半。
plural form: efficiencies
Obi suggested a simple efficiency — turning off the lights in unused rooms after six.
Obi 提出了一項簡單的節省措施——每天傍晚六點後關掉無人使用房間的燈。
The hospital identified fifteen cost efficiencies after reviewing its supply orders for the past year.
醫院在檢討過去一年的供應訂單後，找到了十五項節省成本的措施。
Dewi's report listed efficiencies that could save the school fifty thousand dollars a year.
Dewi 的報告列出了能為學校每年節省五萬美元的節省措施。
- cost-saving measure
More explicit about the financial motivation; 'efficiency' is broader and can refer to time or energy savings too.
- improvement
A general term; 'efficiency' specifically implies reducing waste rather than any kind of change.
- optimisation
Suggests a systematic, data-driven improvement to a process, whereas 'efficiency' can be a simpler practical change.
- waste
Waste is what efficiencies aim to eliminate — the opposite of a saving measure.
用法筆記
This is the only sense that is regularly used in the countable plural form ('efficiencies'). In business contexts it often appears in the phrase 'cost efficiencies' or 'operational efficiencies'.
常見錯誤
4. a calculated value, often expressed as a percentage, that compares the useful wo
轉換效率
機器或系統輸出有用能量與輸入能量的比值
a calculated value, often expressed as a percentage, that compares the useful work delivered by a machine or system with the total energy it receives — for example, a motor that converts 80 % of its electrical power into motion.
An electric car motor can reach an efficiency of over ninety percent on good roads.
電動車馬達在良好路況下可以達到百分之九十以上的轉換效率。
pattern: an efficiency of + percentage
The engineers tested the new turbine's efficiency under different weather conditions for a month.
工程師測試了新渦輪機在不同天氣條件下一個月的轉換效率。
Ilan calculated that the water pump's efficiency had dropped below sixty percent after two years.
Ilan 算出那台抽水機的轉換效率在使用兩年後已降至百分之六十以下。
Solar panels typically have an efficiency between fifteen and twenty-two percent, depending on their quality.
太陽能板的轉換效率通常在百分之十五到二十二之間，視品質而定。
- yield
Yield refers to the amount produced, not the ratio of output to input. A system can have high yield but low efficiency if it uses huge inputs.
- output ratio
A descriptive phrase rather than a standard synonym; 'efficiency' is the standard technical term for this ratio.
- performance
Performance is a broader term covering speed, reliability, and other factors, not just the input-output ratio.
用法筆記
This technical sense is used almost exclusively in engineering, physics, and energy-industry contexts. The noun is often modified by a percentage value following 'of'. Frequently appears in the phrase 'thermal efficiency' (heat engines), 'conversion efficiency' (solar cells), or 'mechanical efficiency' (machinery).
5. a small apartment or flat where the sleeping, living, and cooking areas are all
套房
臥室、客廳與廚房合一的公寓房型
a small apartment or flat where the sleeping, living, and cooking areas are all in a single large space, with only the bathroom separated — especially common in American English, where the full term is 'efficiency apartment'.
Felix rented a small efficiency near the university for his first year of graduate school.
Felix 在學校附近租了一間小套房，方便他研究所第一年居住。
US English: efficiency (apartment)
The building on Maple Street has twelve efficiencies and three larger one-bedroom units for families.
楓樹街上的那棟大樓有十二間套房和三間較大的一房單位，適合家庭居住。
Defne found an efficiency whose large windows made the small space bright and open.
Defne 找到了一間有大窗戶的套房，讓小空間明亮又開闊。
Rents for efficiencies in the downtown area have risen fifteen percent over two years.
市中心一帶的套房租金在兩年內上漲了百分之十五。
- studio apartment
The more common term in both American and British English; 'efficiency' is slightly older and more common in real-estate listings.
- studio flat
The British equivalent term.
- bedsit
A British term for a single room used as both bedroom and living room, usually with shared bathroom facilities — different from an efficiency which has a private bathroom.
用法筆記
Chiefly used in American English. In British English the equivalent is 'studio flat' or 'studio apartment'. The full form 'efficiency apartment' is also common in real-estate listings. This sense is always countable.