eke
eke — 動詞
- ekepresent simple I / you / we / they
- ekes3rd person singular
- eking-ing form
- ekedpast simple
1. to make something greater in size, length, or duration — a meaning that is now f
增加；延長
使大小、長度或時間增加
to make something greater in size, length, or duration — a meaning that is now found only in historical or literary contexts.
The monks carefully eked the manuscript with decorative borders and gold leaf.
僧侶們小心翼翼地為手稿加上裝飾邊框和金箔，增加了原稿的篇幅。
archaic standalone use without 'out'
Village farmers in medieval Europe eked their small harvests by rotating crops across three fields.
中世紀歐洲的鄉村農民利用三田輪耕制，設法讓小小的收成維持更久。
The king eked his treasury by imposing new taxes on imports from neighbouring lands.
國王對鄰國進口的商品課徵新稅，藉此擴充國庫。
The poet eked the original saga with several new verses describing the hero's early adventures.
詩人為原本的傳奇故事加了幾段新詩節，描寫英雄早年的冒險經歷。
Shipbuilders eked the hull by adding two extra layers of oak planks above the waterline.
造船工人在水線上方多加兩層橡木板，將船殼加長了。
文法句型
eke + object
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 2 and the idiom 'eke out': this sense uses 'eke' alone without the particle 'out' and is restricted to historical or literary writing.
常見錯誤
2. to manage to obtain or achieve something, such as a small income, a narrow victo
艱難獲得
經過努力勉強得到
to manage to obtain or achieve something, such as a small income, a narrow victory, or a bare profit, only after a hard struggle and with very few resources; in modern English this sense always appears as part of the phrasal verb 'eke out'.
Hassan eked out a living by repairing bicycles on the roadside after the factory closed.
工廠關閉後，Hassan 在路邊靠修理腳踏車勉強維生。
collocation: eke out a living
The underdog team eked out a 3–2 victory in the final minute of the match.
這支不被看好的隊伍在比賽最後一分鐘以三比二苦撐出勝利。
collocation: eke out a victory
Lakshmi eked out just enough profit from her shop to pay the monthly rent.
Lakshmi 從她的店只掙到足夠支付月租的微薄利潤。
Eli eked out an existence by doing odd jobs for elderly neighbours.
Eli 靠替年長鄰居打零工勉強過日子。
The farmer eked out a thin crop from rocky soil that most people had abandoned.
這位農夫從多數人早已放棄的岩石土壤中，硬是種出了一點稀稀落落的作物。
- scrape together
more informal; suggests gathering small amounts from various sources rather than a single prolonged effort
- squeeze out
emphasises extracting the maximum possible from very limited resources, often with a sense of effort against pressure
文法句型
eke out + noun phrase (living, victory, profit, existence)
用法筆記
Always requires the particle 'out' — never used as 'eke something' alone. Subject is typically a person or organization struggling against limited resources or unfavourable conditions.