inch
inch — 名詞
- inchsingular
- inchesplural
1. a standard unit of length in the imperial system; one inch equals 2.54 centimetr
英寸
長度單位，約等於2.54公分
a standard unit of length in the imperial system; one inch equals 2.54 centimetres, and twelve inches make one foot
The fish Lakshmi caught was about 14 inches long.
Lakshmi 釣到的魚大約有 14 英寸長。
You need a 6-inch knife to cut through this thick rope.
你需要一把 6 英寸的刀才能切斷這條粗繩子。
hyphenated compound: number-inch + noun
Snowfall reached 10 inches in some mountain areas last night.
昨晚部分山區的積雪達到 10 英寸。
inch(es) of + noun (snowfall, rainfall)
The shelf is 36 inches wide and fits perfectly between the windows.
這個架子寬 36 英寸，剛好適合放在兩扇窗戶之間。
Raise the table by about two inches so your legs have more room.
把桌子再抬高約兩英寸，讓你的腿有更多空間。
- inch of rain
- inch of snow
- inch wide/long/deep
- × inches in length
文法句型
number + inch(es) + adjective (long/wide/deep)
inch(es) of + noun
hyphenated compound: number-inch + noun
常見錯誤
2. a tiny quantity, distance, or level of something
絲毫
極小的數量、距離或程度
a tiny quantity, distance, or level of something
The negotiations have not moved an inch since last week.
從上週到現在，談判絲毫沒有任何進展。
negative construction: not + verb + an inch
Antonia was every inch a professional musician from the moment she stepped on stage.
Antonia 從踏上舞台的那一刻起，就是十足的專業音樂家。
idiom: every inch (completely)
Mayumi's father refused to give an inch when she asked to borrow the car.
Mayumi 跟爸爸借車，但爸爸絲毫不肯讓步。
pattern: refuse to give an inch (stubborn refusal)
I do not trust Bilal an inch after what he did last month.
Bilal 上個月做了那種事之後，我完全不信任他。
negative construction: not trust + an inch
The truck missed the cyclist by only a few inches.
卡車距離騎自行車的人只差幾英寸。
- not + move/budge/give/trust + an inch
- every inch
- within an inch of
- by inches
- inch by inch
- mile
used contrastively in the idiom 'give an inch and they'll take a mile' to show the difference between a small concession and excessive demands
文法句型
not + verb + an inch
every inch + noun phrase
inch of + uncountable noun
within an inch of + noun
用法筆記
Frequently appears in negative constructions ('not budge an inch', 'not trust an inch') and fixed idioms. The positive form 'an inch of' is usually found in questions, conditionals, or proverbs rather than in plain affirmative statements.
常見錯誤
every inch
idiomin every way; completely — used to emphasise that someone has all the qualities of a particular type of person
十足；徹頭徹尾
In her dark suit and sharp glasses, Soraya looked every inch a successful businesswoman.
The garden is every inch a work of art, with carefully placed flowers and stone paths.
inch by inch
idiomvery slowly and in very small stages, often with great care or difficulty
一點一點地；緩慢而仔細地
The rescue team searched the rubble inch by inch for any sign of survivors.
Jiwoo inched her way up the mountain trail inch by inch, stopping to catch her breath at every turn.
almost to the point of death, destruction, or complete defeat
幾乎喪命；差一點就死掉
The driver was beaten within an inch of his life by the angry crowd before the police arrived.
The storm shook the old house within an inch of its life, tearing tiles off the roof.
to refuse completely to change your opinion, decision, or position, even by a very small amount
絲毫不讓步；完全不改變立場
Christopher argued for hours, but Yael would not budge an inch on the price.
The government has said it will not move an inch on its new education policy.
If you let someone have a little freedom or power, they will try to get much more.
得寸進尺
Maya gave her assistant a small raise, and he asked for a promotion.
If you let your child stay up late once, they'll want to stay up every night.
To completely refuse to change your opinion or decision.
絲毫不讓步
The manager wouldn't budge an inch on the deadline.
Even after hours of discussion, the committee didn't move an inch.
To have no trust at all in someone.
完全不信任
I wouldn't trust that salesman an inch with your money.
After he lied to me, I didn't trust him an inch.
inch — 動詞
- inchpresent simple I / you / we / they
- inches3rd person singular
- inching-ing form
- inchedpast simple
1. to advance gradually by tiny steps, or to make something advance in such a way
緩移
非常緩慢地一小段一小段移動
to advance gradually by tiny steps, or to make something advance in such a way
Traffic was inching along the highway during the evening rush hour.
傍晚尖峰時間，公路上車流緩慢移動。
inch + adverb (along/forward)
David inched the heavy sofa through the narrow doorway without scratching the walls.
David 慢慢地把沉重的沙發移過狹窄的門口，沒有刮傷牆壁。
transitive: inch + object + preposition phrase
The queue at the ticket counter inched forward for nearly an hour.
售票櫃檯前的隊伍慢慢前進了將近一個小時。
Ryan carefully inched his way down the steep slope towards the river.
Ryan 小心翼翼地沿著陡峭的斜坡慢慢往河邊移動。
pattern: inch + one's way
The caterpillar inched up the stem of the sunflower in the garden.
毛毛蟲沿著花園裡的向日葵莖緩緩向上爬。
- inch along
- inch forward
- inch closer
- inch through
- inch one's way
- inch towards
文法句型
inch + adverb/preposition
inch + object + adverb/preposition
inch + one's way + adverb/preposition
用法筆記
Commonly used with adverbs of direction such as 'along', 'forward', 'up', 'down', 'through', and 'into'. The transitive causative use ('inch something + preposition') is frequent when describing careful positioning of objects. Does not naturally pair with adverbs of speed such as 'quickly' or 'rapidly'.