in-kind
/ˈin-ˈkīnd/ (ame, mw)
in-kind — 慣用語
1. Describing a payment, donation, or reward that is provided as goods or services
實物給付
以商品或服務代替金錢
Describing a payment, donation, or reward that is provided as goods or services instead of money, without being converted into cash.
The clinic received in-kind donations of medicine and bandages from several local pharmacies.
該診所收到了來自幾間當地藥局的實物捐贈，包括藥品和繃帶。
passive: received in-kind donations of [goods]
When the theater ran out of cash, it paid its actors in kind by giving them free tickets.
劇院現金用盡後，便以實物方式支付演員片酬，讓他們拿免費門票。
pay + in kind + by [method]
Chen's landlord agreed to accept repairs and painting work in kind instead of rent.
Chen 的房東同意他以修繕和油漆工作代替房租。
The government sent over two million dollars in in-kind aid to the disaster region.
政府向災區運送了超過兩百萬美元的實物援助。
- in lieu of money
more formal, often used in legal or tax contexts
- non-monetary
adjectival form, neutral register
- barter
describes a direct exchange of goods or services, whereas 'in kind' can describe one-way transfers
- in cash
payment made using money rather than goods or services
文法句型
pay/receive + in kind
用法筆記
Used adverbially after a verb such as 'pay', 'give', 'receive', or 'donate'. The phrase 'in kind' indicates that the transaction uses goods or services instead of currency. Common in contexts of charity, taxation, barter, and compensation.
常見錯誤
2. Responding to a person's action by doing the same thing back to them, especially
以同樣方式
用同樣的行動回應他人
Responding to a person's action by doing the same thing back to them, especially as a form of retaliation or reciprocation.
Boris made a rude comment, and Fatima responded in kind with a sharp remark.
Boris 說了句粗魯的話，Fatima 便以同樣方式回敬了一句尖刻的話。
respond + in kind + with [action]
The two newspapers attacked each other in kind, publishing equally harsh editorials day after day.
這兩家報社日復一日地以同樣方式互相攻擊，刊登同樣尖銳的社論。
attack + in kind — reciprocal structure
Ana helped Jing move his furniture, and he returned the favor in kind by painting her kitchen.
Ana 幫 Jing 搬家，他則以同樣方式回報，幫她粉刷了廚房。
The senator's speech was full of personal attacks, and the opposition leader replied in kind.
參議員的演說充滿人身攻擊，反對黨領袖便以同樣方式回擊。
- like for like
more informal, same meaning of reciprocal action
- tit for tat
idiomatic, often implies a petty or childish exchange
- reciprocally
more formal and neutral, can describe positive or negative exchanges
- turn the other cheek
idiom meaning to respond with forgiveness instead of retaliation
文法句型
respond/reply + in kind
return + in kind
用法筆記
Often carries a negative connotation of retaliation — returning an insult, an attack, or an unfair action. Can describe positive reciprocation (returning a favour), but the retaliation sense is more frequent in everyday language. Distinguish from sense 1 (payment in goods): sense 2 describes an action done back to someone, never a financial transaction.
常見錯誤
in-kind — 形容詞
1. Made as a payment, donation, or contribution that takes the form of goods or ser
實物給付
以實物而非金錢的給付
Made as a payment, donation, or contribution that takes the form of goods or services rather than money, where the giver provides something of material value without exchanging it for cash.
Hana's company made an in-kind donation of office furniture and computers to the youth centre.
Hana 的公司向青年中心捐贈了辦公家具和電腦等實物。
in-kind donation of [specific goods]
After the typhoon, many families received in-kind assistance such as rice, blankets, and bottled water.
颱風過後，許多家庭獲得了包括白米、毛毯和瓶裝水在內的實物援助。
in-kind assistance — humanitarian aid context
Samir offered in-kind accounting services to the charity because it could not afford his usual fee.
Samir 向該慈善機構提供免費的實物會計服務，因為對方付不起他的正常費用。
The city accepted an in-kind contribution of playground equipment from the neighbourhood association.
市政府接受了社區協會捐贈的遊戲場設備等實物。
- non-cash
more informal, same meaning; used similarly before nouns
- non-monetary
slightly more formal; interchangeable with 'in-kind' in most contexts
- bartered
implies a direct exchange rather than a one-way transfer
- cash
describing monetary rather than non-monetary transactions
文法句型
in-kind + noun
用法筆記
Almost always used attributively before a noun (e.g. 'in-kind payment', 'in-kind contribution'). The hyphenated spelling 'in-kind' is standard when the phrase functions as an adjective before a noun; the open form 'in kind' is used for the adverbial idiom sense. Distinguish from adj/2 (等值的 / EQUIVALENT VALUE): this sense focuses on the MEDIUM of payment — the transaction uses goods or services INSTEAD OF cash. Adj/2 focuses on the PROPORTIONAL EQUIVALENCE of a distribution or exchange, regardless of whether cash is involved. For example, donating surplus food to a food bank is adj/1 (in-kind contribution — non-monetary gift); dividing inherited property equally among five heirs without selling it is adj/2 (in-kind distribution — preservation of form and value).
常見錯誤
2. Given or received in a form or amount that is equivalent in value or nature to a
等值交換
價值或形式相等的交換
Given or received in a form or amount that is equivalent in value or nature to another form or amount, preserving the original medium rather than converting it into something different such as cash.
The court ordered an in-kind distribution of the farmland, giving each sibling a parcel of equal value.
法院命令將農田進行等值分配，讓每位繼承人取得價值相等的土地。
in-kind distribution — proportional division preserving form
Shareholders received an in-kind dividend of shares in the subsidiary instead of a cash payout.
股東獲得了子公司的股票作為等值股息，而非現金發放。
in-kind dividend — financial instrument instead of cash
The two research institutes arranged an in-kind exchange of laboratory equipment worth the same amount.
兩間研究機構安排了一項等值交換，互換價值相同的實驗室設備。
Under the will, each of the three children received an in-kind share of the art collection equal in value to the others.
根據遺囑，三名子女各獲得一份等值的藝術收藏品，價值與其他人相同。
- equivalent
broader meaning; not limited to legal or financial contexts
- commensurate
more formal, emphasises proportional equivalence
- like-for-like
informal, common in business and finance
- cash-equivalent
describes something converted to monetary value, the opposite of keeping the same form
文法句型
in-kind + noun (distribution/exchange/swap/dividend)
用法筆記
Used in legal, financial, or tax contexts describing asset distributions, share exchanges, or property swaps where the recipient receives something of EQUIVALENT VALUE in its original form. Unlike adj/1 (非金錢給付 / NON-MONETARY PAYMENT), this sense does NOT emphasise that cash is absent; it emphasises that the form or value of what is given matches what is owed. A grant of food vouchers (goods instead of cash) is adj/1; the division of an estate into equal-value parcels distributed whole to each heir is adj/2. Look for contexts involving division, proportion, or same-form preservation rather than one-way charity.