leave to chance
leave to chance — 慣用語
1. to choose not to make specific plans or decisions, preferring instead to let eve
聽天由命
不做具體計畫，任其自然發展
to choose not to make specific plans or decisions, preferring instead to let events take their natural course without trying to control or steer the outcome
Sayaka decided to leave the seating arrangements to chance and let guests pick their own spots.
Sayaka 決定把座位安排聽天由命，讓客人自己挑位置。
leave + object + to chance for deliberate inaction
For the office party menu, Benjamin left everything to chance by ordering a surprise selection.
公司派對的菜單，Benjamin 完全交給運氣，訂了一份驚喜套餐。
Rather than researching schools, Otis and his wife left the choice to chance during their move.
搬家時，Otis 和太太沒有研究學校，而是把選擇交給命運。
The gardeners left the flower colours to chance by mixing all the seeds together.
園丁把花朵的顏色交給運氣，把所有種子混在一起播種。
Pim left her holiday destination to chance and was thrilled with the random result.
Pim 把度假地點交給命運決定，結果隨機選到的地方讓她很滿意。
- trust to luck
more informal; implies hoping for a good outcome rather than passively accepting any outcome
- take a gamble
implies more risk and a conscious risk-taking attitude
- let nature take its course
broader; often used for biological or natural processes rather than decisions
- plan ahead
opposite action — making deliberate preparations
- take charge
emphasises active control rather than passive acceptance
用法筆記
This sense implies a conscious, intentional decision not to control a situation. Distinguish from sense 2, where the lack of planning is a failure rather than a choice.
常見錯誤
2. to make no preparations or arrangements for a future event or situation, so that
不做準備
不為未來做安排，靠運氣決定結果
to make no preparations or arrangements for a future event or situation, so that the result depends entirely on luck rather than on any steps you have taken
Eshe left her job interview preparation entirely to chance and arrived with no notes.
Eshe 完全沒有準備面試，兩手空空就去了。
leave + [task/activity] + entirely to chance for negligent inaction
Nikos left the wedding catering to chance and had to order pizza at the last minute.
Nikos 沒有為婚禮安排餐點，最後只好臨時叫披薩。
Gabriel left his travel insurance to chance and regretted it when his bag was stolen.
Gabriel 沒有買旅遊保險，結果包包被偷時非常後悔。
Saira left the exam revision to chance and was completely unprepared for the questions.
Saira 完全沒有準備考試，對題目一無所知。
The building team left the safety checks to chance, which led to a serious accident.
施工團隊沒有安排安全檢查，結果導致了一場嚴重事故。
- neglect to prepare
more formal; emphasises the failure aspect
- fail to plan
neutral phrasing without idiomatic flavour
- fly by the seat of one's pants
informal; implies improvising as you go rather than simply not preparing
- make preparations
neutral opposite action
- leave nothing to chance
negative version of the same idiom, meaning to prepare thoroughly
用法筆記
Null