hours
hours — 名詞
1. units of time, each lasting sixty minutes, used to count how long something take
小時
六十分鐘為一單位的時間
units of time, each lasting sixty minutes, used to count how long something takes or lasts.
Ezra waited three hours at the airport before his flight to Madrid took off.
Ezra 在機場等了三個小時，他飛往馬德里的班機才起飛。
[number] + hours for measuring duration
The drive from Taipei to Kaohsiung takes about four hours by high-speed rail.
從台北搭高鐵到高雄大約要四個小時。
duration of a journey
Sayaka practised the piano for two hours every afternoon before her recital.
獨奏會前，Sayaka 每天下午練鋼琴練兩個小時。
The film was nearly three hours long, so Meera bought a large bag of popcorn.
這部電影將近三個小時，所以 Meera 買了一大桶爆米花。
Kemi finished the exam in less than two hours and walked out smiling.
Kemi 不到兩個小時就考完試，笑著走出考場。
- time
broader; less precise about the unit of measurement
文法句型
number + hours
for + [number] hours
用法筆記
Always plural after numbers greater than one. With 'one' use the singular form 'hour'.
常見錯誤
2. the set period each day when a shop, office, or service is open to the public, o
營業時間
店家或機關開放服務的時段
the set period each day when a shop, office, or service is open to the public, or when a regular activity takes place.
The library extends its opening hours to ten o'clock during exam week.
考試週圖書館將開放時間延長到晚上十點。
collocation: opening hours
Please check the bank's business hours on the front door before walking in.
進銀行前請先看門口貼的營業時間。
collocation: business hours
Daniel can answer your questions during office hours, Monday to Friday.
Daniel 在週一到週五的上班時間都可以回答你的問題。
Visiting hours at the hospital end at eight in the evening.
醫院的探病時間到晚上八點結束。
Aylin sends emails after hours and does not expect a reply until morning.
Aylin 都在下班後才寄電子郵件，也不指望別人會馬上回信。
文法句型
opening / business / office hours
during [X] hours
用法筆記
Almost always appears with a defining adjective or noun in front: opening, business, office, visiting, school. Distinguish from sense 4 (the personal schedule of one worker) — sense 2 is about an organization's public schedule.
常見錯誤
3. the moments or part of a day or night when something happens, often described as
時段；時分
一天裡某段特定時間
the moments or part of a day or night when something happens, often described as early, late, or quiet.
Christopher does his best writing in the early hours of the morning before sunrise.
Christopher 最會寫作的時段是日出前的清晨時分。
the early hours of the morning
Asher kept calling his mother during the late hours of the night, worried about the storm.
暴風雨那晚 Asher 在深夜時段一直打電話給媽媽，擔心她的安危。
the late hours of the night
The party went on into the small hours, with music drifting across the garden.
派對一直開到凌晨時分，音樂聲飄過了整座花園。
Niran prefers to fish in the quiet hours just before dawn.
Niran 喜歡在天亮前的安靜時段釣魚。
Trains run less frequently during the off-peak hours between rush periods.
尖峰之間的離峰時段火車班次比較少。
文法句型
the early / late / small hours of [period]
用法筆記
Subject is usually a stretch of time within the day or night, not a single moment. Distinguish from sense 1 (counting units of time): sense 3 names a part of the day, not a length.
4. the amount or pattern of time a person spends doing their paid job each day or w
工時
一個人工作的時數或時間安排
the amount or pattern of time a person spends doing their paid job each day or week.
Kemi works long hours at the law firm, often leaving the office after midnight.
Kemi 在律師事務所工時很長，常常過了午夜才離開辦公室。
work long hours: typical collocation
Caio has flexible hours and can pick his daughter up from school in the afternoon.
Caio 的工時很彈性，下午可以去學校接女兒。
flexible hours: chosen daily schedule
The new nurse keeps unsocial hours, working through most weekends and holidays.
這位新護士的工時很不正常，大部分週末和假日都得上班。
Elena puts in forty hours a week at the bakery and still finds time to paint.
Elena 每週在麵包店工時四十個小時，還能抽空畫畫。
Defne wanted shorter hours so she could finish her university degree at night.
Defne 想要縮短工時，晚上才能繼續念完大學學位。
- shift
a single block of work time; 'hours' covers the overall pattern
文法句型
work + [adjective] hours
[number] hours a week
用法筆記
Subject is typically a single worker (a person). Distinguish from sense 2 (the public schedule of a shop or service): sense 4 describes one person's own working pattern.
常見錯誤
5. a long stretch of time that feels much longer than it really is, used to stress
好久；老半天
感覺很長的一段時間，常用來誇飾
a long stretch of time that feels much longer than it really is, used to stress how slow or tiring something feels.
Adina searched for her car keys for hours before finding them inside her coat pocket.
Adina 找鑰匙找了老半天，最後才在外套口袋裡發現它。
for hours: exaggerated long search
Léa spent hours cleaning the kitchen after the dinner party on Saturday.
週六晚宴後，Léa 花了好久才把廚房清理乾淨。
spend hours + V-ing
We waited at the bus stop for hours in the rain before any bus appeared.
我們在雨中的公車站等了好久，才終於來了一班車。
Brandon talks to his grandmother on the phone for hours every Sunday night.
Brandon 每個週日晚上都會跟奶奶在電話裡聊上老半天。
Sana practised the violin for hours, until her fingers hurt and her teacher told her to rest.
Sana 練小提琴練了好久，直到手指發痛，老師才叫她休息。
- moments
suggests a very short time
文法句型
for hours
spend hours + V-ing
用法筆記
Mostly informal hyperbole — speakers rarely mean an exact count of hours. Distinguish from sense 1 (precise duration): sense 5 emphasises feeling, not measurement.
6. any time of day or night, with no set pattern, often used when something happens
不分晝夜
一天到晚任何時間都可能發生
any time of day or night, with no set pattern, often used when something happens too often or at awkward moments.
Mathieu's neighbours play loud music at all hours, which keeps the baby awake.
Mathieu 的鄰居不分晝夜地放大聲音樂，吵得寶寶都睡不著。
at all hours: any time, day or night
The hospital's emergency line is answered at all hours by trained nurses.
醫院的急診專線不分晝夜都由受過訓練的護理師接聽。
round-the-clock availability
Beatrix gets phone calls from clients at all hours, even on her holiday in Greece.
Beatrix 不分晝夜都會接到客戶的電話，連在希臘度假時也一樣。
Sofie's new puppy barks at all hours of the night, and the family barely sleeps.
Sofie 家的新小狗整晚不分時段地叫，全家幾乎都沒辦法睡。
Kwame studies at all hours during the final week before his exams.
期末考前一週，Kwame 不分晝夜地讀書。
- round the clock
stresses continuous activity; often positive (services that never stop)
文法句型
at all hours
round / around the clock hours
用法筆記
Almost always appears in the fixed phrase 'at all hours' (sometimes 'at all hours of the day/night'). Carries a mild complaint or surprise about timing.