in stages
in stages — 慣用語
1. by splitting a task or change into smaller parts and finishing one part at a tim
分階段
把事情分成幾個部分逐步完成
by splitting a task or change into smaller parts and finishing one part at a time, rather than doing the whole thing at once
The builders repainted the school in stages, one classroom each weekend.
工人分階段重新粉刷學校，每個週末刷一間教室。
do [task] in stages, finishing one part at a time
Pim quit smoking in stages, cutting down by two cigarettes every week.
Pim 分階段戒菸，每週少抽兩根。
in stages = gradual, step-by-step change
The new safety rules will be introduced in stages over the next year.
新的安全規定將在明年分階段實施。
passive: be introduced / rolled out in stages
Kofi paid back his student loan in stages, a little from each paycheck.
Kofi 分階段償還學貸，每次發薪都還一點。
Rather than moving everything at once, the family unpacked their boxes in stages.
這家人沒有一次搬完，而是分階段把箱子拆開整理。
contrast: in stages vs. all at one time
- do something in stages
- introduce in stages
- roll out in stages
- pay in stages
- step by step
more informal; stresses following an ordered sequence
- gradually
single adverb; emphasises slow change without implying clear separate parts
- bit by bit
informal; suggests small amounts over time rather than planned phases
- all at once
the whole thing done in a single action or moment
- in one go
informal; completing something without breaks or separate steps
文法句型
do something in stages
用法筆記
Functions as an adverbial phrase modifying a whole action; it stresses that the action happened gradually in separate steps, not that it was merely slow.