parallel
/ˈpærəlel/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈpærəlel/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈper-ə-ˌlel ˈpa-rə-, -ləl/ (ame, mw) · /ˈpær.ə.lel/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈper.ə.lel/ (ame, ipa)
parallel — 形容詞
- parallelpositive
- more parallelcomparative
- most parallelsuperlative
1. describes a pair of lines, roads, or edges that run beside each other while keep
平行的
兩線等距，永不相交
describes a pair of lines, roads, or edges that run beside each other while keeping exactly the same gap from start to finish, so they would never touch even if you stretched them on forever
Maple Street runs parallel to the river for almost two kilometres.
Maple Street 與河流平行延伸了將近兩公里。
parallel to + place
Mr. Suzuki drew two parallel lines across the whiteboard with a red marker.
Suzuki 老師用紅色麥克筆在白板上畫了兩條平行的線。
two parallel lines (typical noun phrase)
The new bike path is parallel with the railway tracks behind the station.
新的自行車道與車站後方的鐵軌平行。
Make sure the wooden shelves stay parallel, or your books will lean to one side.
要確保木製層板保持平行，否則你的書會往一邊倒。
Lina folded the napkin so the two long edges were perfectly parallel.
Lina 把餐巾摺好，讓兩條長邊完全平行。
- side-by-side
everyday phrase, but does not promise the gap is constant
- equidistant
formal and technical; means the same distance apart at every point
- perpendicular
meeting at a right angle (90 degrees) instead of staying apart
- intersecting
lines that cross each other
文法句型
parallel to [something]
parallel with [something]
be parallel
用法筆記
Both 'parallel to' and 'parallel with' are correct; 'parallel to' is slightly more common in modern writing. Distinguish from sense 2: this sense talks about physical position in space, not similarity of ideas or events.
常見錯誤
2. used about two events, processes, or situations that closely resemble each other
相似的；類似
兩件事相像或同步發展
used about two events, processes, or situations that closely resemble each other, or that develop in step during the same period, even though they may involve different people or places
The new tax scandal shows striking parallel features to the case from 2008.
新的稅務醜聞與 2008 年的案子有十分相似的特徵。
parallel features / parallel cases
Carlos noticed parallel themes of loss and hope in both Korean and Mexican films.
Carlos 注意到韓國電影和墨西哥電影中都有類似的失落與希望主題。
parallel themes (abstract noun)
The two sisters lead parallel lives, both teaching biology in small mountain towns.
這對姊妹過著相似的人生，兩人都在山區小鎮教生物。
Climate change and rising food prices follow parallel trends in many poor regions.
氣候變遷和糧食價格上漲在許多貧困地區呈現出相似的趨勢。
Dr. Tanaka's research shows a parallel rise in stress and screen time among teenagers.
Tanaka 醫生的研究顯示，青少年的壓力與螢幕使用時間呈現相似的上升趨勢。
- similar
much more general; the everyday word for 'alike'
- comparable
stresses that two things can fairly be compared
- analogous
formal; suggests a deep structural likeness
文法句型
a parallel + noun
parallel to [something]
用法筆記
Often appears before abstract nouns such as 'lives, careers, themes, trends, history'. Distinguish from sense 1 (NEVER MEETING): this sense is about resemblance or matching timelines, not physical position.
常見錯誤
3. in computing, describes a way of moving data or running tasks where many small p
平行式的
多個資料或運算同時進行
in computing, describes a way of moving data or running tasks where many small pieces are sent or processed at the same moment over separate wires or cores, instead of one after another
Old printers used a parallel cable that carried eight bits at once.
舊式印表機使用一次傳送八位元的平行排線。
parallel cable (hardware noun)
Modern graphics cards rely on parallel processing to draw millions of pixels each second.
現代顯示卡仰賴平行運算，每秒繪製數百萬個畫素。
parallel processing (set phrase)
Dr. Park's lab built a small parallel computer using twenty cheap Raspberry Pi boards.
Park 博士的實驗室用二十片便宜的 Raspberry Pi 板組成一台小型平行式電腦。
The team rewrote the simulation to use parallel threads on every CPU core.
團隊把模擬程式改寫，讓每個 CPU 核心都能執行平行執行緒。
- concurrent
general computing word for tasks that overlap in time
- multi-threaded
more specific; describes software running many threads at once
- serial
the standard opposite in computing: one bit or task at a time
- sequential
tasks done one after the other in a fixed order
文法句型
parallel + technical noun
in parallel
用法筆記
Mostly used inside fixed technical phrases like 'parallel processing', 'parallel computing', 'parallel port'. The opposite term in this domain is 'serial', which means one bit or one task at a time.
parallel — 名詞
- parallelsingular
- parallelsplural
1. a clear point of likeness between two different people, events, or situations, e
相似處；類比
兩件事間明顯的相似點
a clear point of likeness between two different people, events, or situations, especially one that helps you understand the second one by thinking of the first
Historians often draw a parallel between the 1929 crash and the 2008 banking crisis.
歷史學家經常把 1929 年的崩盤與 2008 年的銀行危機相類比。
draw a parallel between A and B (fixed phrase)
The novel sets up a striking parallel between the king's downfall and his daughter's quiet courage.
這部小說在國王的垮台與他女兒的沉默勇氣之間，建立了鮮明的相似之處。
a striking parallel (common collocation)
Professor Mendes pointed out interesting parallels with the protests in Chile.
Mendes 教授指出了這件事與智利抗議活動的有趣相似之處。
There are clear parallels between learning a sport and learning a new language.
學一項運動和學一種新語言之間有明顯的相似之處。
Maya saw an obvious parallel between her grandmother's farm and the village in the film.
Maya 看出祖母的農場與電影中那座村莊有明顯的相似之處。
- comparison
the general everyday word for putting two things side by side
- analogy
a comparison used to explain or argue a point
- similarity
focuses on the shared feature rather than the act of comparing
- contrast
highlights difference rather than likeness
文法句型
a parallel between A and B
draw a parallel
see a parallel
用法筆記
Almost always countable. Frequently appears in the fixed verb phrase 'draw a parallel/draw parallels'. Distinguish from sense 2 (NO MATCH): that sense is the special pattern 'no/without parallel' meaning unique, not just 'a comparison'.
常見錯誤
2. used in the fixed phrases 'no parallel' and 'without parallel' to say that somet
無可比擬
稀有或卓越到無人能及
used in the fixed phrases 'no parallel' and 'without parallel' to say that something is so unusual or so excellent that nothing else can be matched against it
Hokusai's printing skill had no parallel in nineteenth-century Japan.
Hokusai 的版畫技藝在十九世紀的日本無人能及。
have no parallel (fixed phrase)
The damage caused by the tsunami was without parallel in the town's long history.
海嘯造成的破壞，在這座小鎮的悠久歷史上無與倫比。
without parallel in [field]
Aunt Rosa's chocolate cake was so rich that it had no parallel at the village fair.
Aunt Rosa 的巧克力蛋糕濃郁到在村裡的市集上沒有對手。
After Yuki Mori's Chopin recital, the critic Saito wrote that her left-hand technique was without parallel.
Yuki Mori 的蕭邦獨奏會結束後，樂評 Saito 撰文指出，她的左手技巧無可比擬。
文法句型
have no parallel
without parallel
be without parallel in [field]
用法筆記
Almost only used in the negative pattern 'no/without parallel'. Sounds formal or admiring; often appears in reviews, history writing, and obituaries. Distinguish from sense 1: there you compare two specific things; here you say nothing else even compares.
常見錯誤
3. in mathematics, a straight line drawn so that every point on it sits an equal ga
平行線
與另一條線等距的直線
in mathematics, a straight line drawn so that every point on it sits an equal gap away from another chosen line, meaning the two will never cross however far they are extended
The pupils were asked to draw a parallel to the bottom edge of the rectangle.
學生們被要求在矩形的下緣旁畫一條平行線。
draw a parallel to [a line]
Mr. Khan showed the class how to use a ruler to mark a parallel above the first line.
Khan 老師示範如何用尺在第一條線上方標出一條平行線。
In her geometry book, every parallel was drawn in light pencil first, then in ink.
在她的幾何課本裡，每一條平行線都先用淡鉛筆畫，再描上墨水。
A square has two pairs of parallels, one horizontal and one vertical.
正方形有兩組平行線，一組水平，一組垂直。
- parallel line
the everyday way to say the same thing outside textbooks
- perpendicular
a line that meets the chosen line at a right angle
文法句型
a parallel of/to [a line]
用法筆記
Mainly classroom and textbook language. Outside math class, people prefer 'a parallel line'. Distinguish from sense 1 (COMPARISON): that sense is about likeness between ideas, not lines on paper.
4. on a map of the world, any imaginary east-west circle that rings the earth at a
緯線
地球上標示緯度的東西向假想線
on a map of the world, any imaginary east-west circle that rings the earth at a fixed gap north or south of the equator and is used to measure latitude
The 38th parallel separates North Korea from South Korea.
北緯三十八度線將北韓與南韓分開。
the [number]th parallel (geographic name)
Most of Canada lies north of the 49th parallel.
加拿大大部分國土位於北緯四十九度線以北。
north of the [number]th parallel
The captain checked the chart and announced that the ship had crossed the 60th parallel.
船長查看海圖後宣布，船已越過北緯六十度線。
Tropical storms rarely form south of the 5th parallel near the equator.
熱帶風暴很少在赤道附近的北緯五度線以南形成。
Geography students learned to find each parallel by looking at the numbers on the side of the map.
地理課的學生學會藉由地圖邊上的數字找到每一條緯線。
- line of latitude
the longer, more technical name for the same thing
- latitude
the general system of north–south position; a parallel marks one fixed value
- meridian
a north–south line of longitude rather than an east–west line of latitude
文法句型
the [number]th parallel
north/south of the [number]th parallel
用法筆記
Almost always paired with a number, as in 'the 38th parallel' or 'the 49th parallel'. The numbers count degrees north or south of the equator. Distinguish from sense 3: this sense is about lines on a globe, not lines drawn on paper.
常見錯誤
parallel — 動詞
- parallelpresent simple I / you / we / they
- parallels3rd person singular
- paralleling-ing form
- paralleledpast simple
1. to be very much like something else in shape, pattern, or timing, so that one th
相似；對應
在形式或時間上相符
to be very much like something else in shape, pattern, or timing, so that one thing seems to mirror or match the other as it happens
Sophia's career as a chef closely parallels her mother's path forty years earlier.
Sophia 身為廚師的職涯，與她母親四十年前走過的路十分相似。
X closely parallels Y
The growth of online shopping has been paralleled by a sharp drop in mall visits.
網路購物的成長伴隨著實體商場人潮的大幅下滑。
passive: be paralleled by [Y]
The plot of the new manga parallels an old folk tale from northern Japan.
這部新漫畫的劇情與北日本的一則古老民間故事相對應。
Chef Daniel's quick rise through three Lyon restaurants parallels his mentor Pierre's path in the 1980s.
Chef Daniel 在 Lyon 三間餐廳間迅速竄升的歷程，與他的師傅 Pierre 在 1980 年代走過的路十分相似。
Marcus noticed that the boy's drawings parallel scenes from his favourite cartoons.
Marcus 注意到那個男孩的塗鴉與他最喜歡的卡通場景十分相似。
- mirror
common, vivid alternative; suggests an almost exact reflection
- match
more everyday and general; can also mean 'be equal in value'
- correspond to
formal; stresses point-by-point agreement
- diverge from
to move away from a matching pattern
- contrast with
to show clear difference rather than likeness
文法句型
[X] parallels [Y]
be paralleled by [Y]
用法筆記
Used most often in writing about history, science, or trends, where you want to point out a strong match between two patterns. Subjects and objects are usually abstract nouns (career, plot, growth, trend). The passive 'be paralleled by' is very common in academic prose.
常見錯誤
parallel — 副詞
1. in such a way that an object or path keeps the same gap from another object or p
平行地
與另一物體保持等距而行
in such a way that an object or path keeps the same gap from another object or path along its whole length, never coming closer and never moving further away
The hiking trail runs parallel to the river for nearly five kilometres.
這條健行步道與河流平行延伸近五公里。
run parallel to [something] (very common pattern)
Carlos parked his motorbike parallel to the kerb so traffic could pass.
Carlos 把摩托車與路緣平行停放，以便其他車輛通過。
park parallel to [something]
The new pipeline lies parallel to the old gas line under the main road.
新的輸油管在主要道路下方，與舊的天然氣管平行鋪設。
Two ducks swam parallel to each other across the quiet lake.
兩隻鴨子在安靜的湖面上彼此平行地游著。
- alongside
everyday word for 'next to', but does not promise a constant gap
- across
moving from one side to the other rather than along
文法句型
run/lie/move parallel to [something]
用法筆記
Almost always followed by 'to' plus the reference object. Common with verbs of motion or position: 'run, lie, move, swim, drive, park'. Compare with the adjective use: here 'parallel' modifies how something moves or lies, not the noun itself.