job
/dʒɒb/ (bre, ipa) · /dʒɑːb/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈjäb/ (ame, mw)
job — 名詞
- jobsingular
- jobsplural
1. the paid activity that you do regularly for an employer or as your own business
工作
有酬的固定職業
the paid activity that you do regularly for an employer or as your own business in order to earn money.
Hui found a job at the local bookstore after finishing school.
Hui 畢業後在當地書店找到了一份工作。
collocation: find a job + at [place]
Christopher's job as a nurse requires him to work night shifts twice a week.
Christopher 的護理師工作需要他一週上兩次夜班。
pattern: job as [role]
Niran applied for several jobs last month but has not heard back yet.
Niran 上個月應徵了幾份工作，但還沒有收到回音。
My sister loves her new job because the team is very friendly and helpful.
我妹妹很喜歡她的新工作，因為團隊氣氛非常友善又有幫助。
Devika took a part-time job at a cafe to save money for her university course.
Devika 在一家咖啡館做兼職工作，為大學課程存錢。
- work
uncountable; job = a specific position, work = the general activity of earning money
- position
more formal, often used in professional contexts
- post
especially in government, military, or academic contexts
- occupation
used on official forms; a neutral label for the type of work you do
- unemployment
the state of being without a job
文法句型
job + as + role
job + at/in + place
常見錯誤
2. a polite phrase used to describe being without paid work, especially for a short
待業
暫時沒有工作的委婉說法
a polite phrase used to describe being without paid work, especially for a short period between one position and the next.
Noor was between jobs for a few months after the startup closed down.
新創公司倒閉後，Noor 待業了幾個月。
phrase: be between jobs
Marco said he was between jobs, though he had not actually started looking yet.
Marco 說他正在待業，雖然實際上他還沒有開始找工作。
The short time between jobs gave Tamar a chance to travel through Southeast Asia.
待業的那段短暫時光讓 Tamar 有機會去東南亞旅行。
Writing 'between jobs' on a form can sound more professional than writing 'unemployed'.
在表格上寫「待業」比寫「失業」聽起來專業一些。
- unemployed
direct statement; less polite but more honest
- out of work
informal, neutral way of saying unemployed
- redundant
British English; specifically when your employer no longer needs you
- employed
having a job
文法句型
be + between jobs
用法筆記
A polite euphemism for unemployed. Often used in formal or professional contexts such as résumés, forms, or conversations about career gaps. Avoid in informal speech where 'unemployed' or 'out of work' is more direct.
常見錯誤
3. a specific task that you are asked to do or complete, especially one with a clea
任務；差事
需要完成的一件特定工作
a specific task that you are asked to do or complete, especially one with a clear aim that takes a limited amount of time.
Gabriela had the job of painting the fence before the party on Saturday.
週六派對前，Gabriela 負責油漆圍籬的工作。
pattern: the job of -ing
The job of organizing the school trip to the museum fell to the new teacher.
安排學校去博物館參觀的任務落到了新老師身上。
Moving all the furniture into the new apartment was a big job that took all weekend.
把家具全部搬進新公寓是一件大工程，花了整個週末。
Baraka asked his neighbour to help him with the job of cleaning out the garage.
Baraka 請鄰居幫他清理車庫。
The plumber did a great job fixing the broken pipe under the kitchen sink.
水電工把廚房水槽下的破水管修得很好。
- task
more general; a piece of work that has to be done, not necessarily paid
- project
a larger, planned piece of work that takes time
- assignment
often used in school or work contexts for a specific duty
- chore
a small, routine task, especially around the house
文法句型
the job of + -ing
a/an + adjective + job
用法筆記
Often preceded by an adjective (big, easy, hard, great) or a description of the task (the job of + gerund). Can also be used with 'do a ... job' to evaluate the quality of work done.
常見錯誤
4. something that you are expected or required to do as part of your role, duty, or
職責；本分
某人應盡的責任或義務
something that you are expected or required to do as part of your role, duty, or position in a group or organisation.
It is the security guard's job to check every bag at the entrance.
保全人員的職責是在入口處檢查每個包包。
pattern: it is [someone's] job to [verb]
Making sure the guests are comfortable is the hotel manager's main job.
確保客人感到舒適是旅館經理的主要職責。
Rodrigo said it was not his job to answer customer complaints about the website.
Rodrigo 說回覆客戶對網站的投訴不是他的職責。
Keeping the kitchen clean is every cook's job, not just one person's responsibility.
保持廚房清潔是每位廚師的本分，不是只有某一個人的責任。
Ezra reminded the team that finishing the report on time was everyone's job.
Ezra 提醒團隊，按時完成報告是每個人的職責。
- duty
moral or legal obligation, stronger than job
- responsibility
focuses on being answerable for something
- role
the function or part someone plays in a situation
文法句型
it is + someone's + job + to-infinitive
用法筆記
Commonly used in the structure 'it is someone's job to + infinitive' to indicate duty or responsibility. Unlike sense 1 (EMPLOYMENT), this sense does not imply the person is paid for this duty.
常見錯誤
❌ 'It's my job to take out the trash at home.' — This is correct English but in Taiwan English classrooms 'job' often implies paid work, so 'duty' or 'responsibility' may be more natural for household chores.
5. a difficult, unpleasant, or tiring experience or situation that requires effort
難事；苦差
困難或費力的經歷
a difficult, unpleasant, or tiring experience or situation that requires effort to deal with.
The car repairs were going to be a hard job, so Lisa called a professional mechanic.
修車費力又棘手，所以 Lisa 請了一位專業技師來處理。
collocation: a hard job / a difficult job
Getting the old wooden table up the narrow stairs was quite a job.
把那張舊木桌搬上狹窄的樓梯可真是一件苦差。
Gabriela had a job trying to gather everyone's opinions before the meeting ended.
Gabriela 費了好大功夫才在會議結束前收集到每個人的意見。
It was a real job to keep the children calm during the long train journey.
在漫長的火車旅途中讓孩子們保持安靜真是件苦差事。
- breeze
something very easy to do; informal
文法句型
have a job + -ing
be a job to + infinitive
用法筆記
Common in British English in the informal structure 'have a job doing something', meaning 'find it difficult to do something'. The adjective 'real' or 'quite' often intensifies the difficulty.
6. an individual item or specimen of a certain kind that can be described by an adj
樣式；種類
帶形容詞描述的某種物品
an individual item or specimen of a certain kind that can be described by an adjective, especially in informal British English.
That old blue car is a beautiful little job with shiny chrome bumpers.
那輛藍色老車是部漂亮的小車，配有閃亮的鍍鉻保險桿。
pattern: a [adjective] little/old job
The house they bought is a modern job with big windows and a flat roof.
他們買的房子是現代風格的，有大窗戶和平屋頂。
I prefer the wooden bookshelf — it is a fine job with lovely clean edges.
我比較喜歡木頭書架——做工精緻，邊緣打磨得很漂亮。
Hui picked a nice little ceramic job for a plant pot at the Sunday market.
Hui 在週日的市集挑了一個漂亮的小盆栽容器。
文法句型
adjective + little/old + job
用法筆記
Informal, chiefly British. The noun is always preceded by an adjective (fine, nice, beautiful, modern, little, old) and often followed by a descriptor. Common in spoken British English to identify or evaluate an object.
7. an act of stealing from a bank, shop, or other place, or any other dishonest or
搶劫；罪行
盜竊或非法牟利的犯罪行為
an act of stealing from a bank, shop, or other place, or any other dishonest or illegal activity carried out for financial gain.
The police arrested three men for the bank job on Main Street last month.
警方上個月逮捕了三名涉嫌 Main Street 銀行搶案的男子。
collocation: bank job
In the film, a group of teenagers pulls a clever job on a dishonest businessman.
電影裡，一群青少年對一個不誠實的商人耍了一場精明的騙局。
The thieves got away with almost half a million dollars in the jewellery store job.
竊賊在那起珠寶店搶案中得手將近五十萬美元。
The newspaper called it the biggest job in the city's recent criminal history.
報紙稱這是該市近年來犯罪史上最大的一起案子。
用法筆記
Informal slang for a robbery or criminal operation. Often used with an adjective or noun modifier to describe the type of crime (bank job, jewellery job). 'Pull a job' is a common informal collocation meaning 'commit a robbery'.
job — 動詞
- jobpresent simple I / you / we / they
- jobs3rd person singular
- jobbing-ing form
- jobbedpast simple
1. to carry out small paid tasks for various people, usually on a temporary basis r
打零工
做臨時或零星的工作
to carry out small paid tasks for various people, usually on a temporary basis rather than as a regular long-term employee.
Ezra jobs as a gardener during the summer months when the parks need extra help.
Ezra 夏天時打零工當園丁，因為公園需要額外幫手。
pattern: job as [role]
Tamar has been jobbing for several local families, fixing fences and painting sheds.
Tamar 一直替幾戶當地家庭打零工，修理圍籬和油漆棚屋。
When Marco was a student, he jobbed around the neighbourhood washing cars and walking dogs.
Marco 還是學生時，在社區裡打零工洗車和遛狗。
The retired teacher now jobs as a private tutor for children in her apartment building.
這位退休老師現在在她住的公寓大樓裡兼職當家教。
文法句型
job + as [type of worker]
job + for [employer]
用法筆記
This verb sense is uncommon in modern everyday English. The more natural expression is 'do odd jobs' or 'work freelance'. The present participle 'jobbing' (jobbing gardener, jobbing builder) is more frequent than the base verb.
2. to use a public position or government office dishonestly for personal financial
貪腐；舞弊
利用公職謀取私利
to use a public position or government office dishonestly for personal financial benefit.
Several officials were caught jobbing by awarding contracts to companies they owned.
有幾位官員因把合約批給自己擁有的公司而被抓包舞弊。
pattern: be caught jobbing (corrupt context)
The corruption report accused the former mayor of jobbing while in charge of city planning.
那份貪腐報告指控前市長在負責都市計畫期間利用職權牟利。
In the 1920s, some senators were known for jobbing and taking secret payments from lobbyists.
在 1920 年代，有些參議員以貪腐聞名，秘密收取說客的資金。
The newspaper exposed the minister for jobbing through fake consulting fees from state projects.
該報揭露該部長透過國家項目的虛假顧問費來中飽私囊。
用法筆記
Very rare in modern English outside historical or legal contexts. The noun form 'jobbery' (corrupt activity in public office) is more common than the verb. In current usage, 'corruption' or 'graft' is preferred.
3. to trade financial assets or commodities, aiming to profit from short-term price
投機
短線買賣股票或商品牟利
to trade financial assets or commodities, aiming to profit from short-term price movements rather than from holding them long-term.
The wealthy investor jobbed in oil shares and doubled his money within a year.
那位富有的投資者投機石油股票，一年內就把資金翻了一倍。
pattern: job in [commodity/shares]
Some traders job in agricultural products, buying wheat cheap before the harvest and selling it later.
有些交易員投機農產品，在收成前低價買進小麥，之後再高價賣出。
Baraka jobbed the currency markets during the financial crisis and made a large profit.
Baraka 在金融危機期間投機外匯市場，賺了一大筆錢。
In the nineteenth century, merchants often jobbed in cotton and tea on the London exchange.
在十九世紀，商人常在倫敦交易所投機棉花和茶葉。
文法句型
job + in [market/commodity]
用法筆記
This sense is historical; the modern term is 'speculate' or 'trade'. In modern finance, 'jobber' refers specifically to a former role on the London Stock Exchange (a market-maker).
4. to give a task or project to an external contractor or freelancer rather than ha
外包
將工作委託給外部廠商
to give a task or project to an external contractor or freelancer rather than having your own staff handle it.
The construction firm jobbed the electrical work out to a smaller local company.
該建築公司把電氣工程外包給一家較小的本地公司。
pattern: job out + to [company]
Instead of hiring full-time cleaners, the hospital jobs the cleaning to an outside service.
醫院沒有聘請全職清潔工，而是將清潔工作外包給外面的服務公司。
Lisa's printing shop was jobbed to finish the brochures for the city council's new campaign.
Lisa 的印刷廠承包了市議會新活動的手冊印製工作。
The software developer jobbed the testing phase to a team in another country to save costs.
那家軟體開發公司為了節省成本，把測試階段外包給另一個國家的團隊。
- subcontract
the standard modern term
- outsource
to obtain work from an outside supplier, often overseas
文法句型
job + out + to [company/person]
用法筆記
Usually used with the particle 'out' (job out = subcontract). The modern and far more common verb is 'subcontract' or 'outsource'. This sense of 'job' is largely restricted to business and construction contexts.
job — 形容詞
- jobpositive
- jobbercomparative
- jobbestsuperlative
1. relating to employment or the work that a person does to earn money.
職業的；工作
與就業或職位有關的
relating to employment or the work that a person does to earn money.
Noor wore a formal suit to her job interview at the accounting firm.
Noor 穿著正式套裝去參加會計事務所的面試。
collocation: job interview
The company's job fair attracted over two hundred applicants from the local area.
該公司的就業博覽會吸引了當地兩百多名求職者。
collocation: job fair
Hui updated her job title from assistant to manager on the company website.
Hui 在公司網站上將自己的職稱從助理改為經理。
Job security is an important factor for many people when choosing a career.
工作保障是許多人選擇職業時一個重要的考量因素。
Christopher found several job opportunities listed on the local newspaper's website.
Christopher 在當地報紙的網站上找到了幾個工作機會。
- employment
more formal; e.g. employment agency
- work
e.g. work experience; less formal than 'employment'
- career
longer-term perspective; e.g. career opportunities
文法句型
job + noun
用法筆記
Used attributively (before a noun) to form common compound nouns about employment. These combinations (job interview, job market, job satisfaction) are extremely frequent and often treated as fixed phrases.
2. describing work that is paid per task or project rather than per hour, or involv
按件計酬的
按任務或合約計費的
describing work that is paid per task or project rather than per hour, or involving contracts for specific pieces of work.
The factory hired job workers during the busy season to handle the extra orders.
那家工廠在旺季僱用按件計酬的工人來處理額外訂單。
collocation: job worker
Many construction sites use job pricing, where each task has a fixed rate.
許多建築工地採用按件定價的方式，每項任務都有固定價格。
collocation: job pricing
The printing press took on job printing for small businesses that needed flyers and posters.
那家印刷廠承接零星印刷業務，為小型企業印製傳單和海報。
The tailor did job work for several clothing brands, sewing batches of shirts at a fixed price per batch.
那位裁縫為幾個服裝品牌做按件工作，每批襯衫以固定價格縫製。
文法句型
job + noun
用法筆記
Used primarily in industrial, manufacturing, or trade contexts to describe work paid by the piece or contract rather than by time. More specific than the adjective sense 1 (WORK-RELATED).
3. available to be employed for a particular service, purpose, or period of time, o
臨時僱用的
按特定服務或期間受雇的
available to be employed for a particular service, purpose, or period of time, often on a temporary basis.
The celebrity arrived at the event with a job driver who had been hired for the whole weekend.
那位名人帶著一位臨時司機抵達活動現場，司機是為整個週末聘請的。
collocation: job [professional role]
In some cities you can rent a job car for a few hours through a mobile app.
在某些城市，你可以透過手機應用程式租用幾小時的臨時用車。
The hotel kept a list of job gardeners who could help guests with their plants while they were away.
那家旅館有一份臨時園丁名單，可以在客人外出時幫忙照顧植物。
A job carpenter was called in to fix the stage before the concert the next evening.
隔天晚上音樂會前，他們請來了一位臨時木工師傅來修理舞台。
文法句型
job + noun
用法筆記
An uncommon attributive use. 'Job + noun' (= 'for hire') overlaps with sense 2 (PIECEWORK). The distinction is that sense 3 focuses on the temporary nature of the hire ('for the job'), while sense 2 focuses on how the payment is calculated (per piece).