plane
/pleɪn/ (bre, ipa) · /pleɪn/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈplān/ (ame, mw)
plane — 名詞
1. a machine that flies through the air, with wings on the sides and engines that p
飛機
有機翼與引擎、可載人飛行的交通工具
a machine that flies through the air, with wings on the sides and engines that push it forward; the everyday short word for an airplane.
Maya watched a small plane circle above the harbour before landing.
Maya 看著一架小飛機在港口上空盤旋了一圈才降落。
The Ito family flew to Okinawa by plane for the summer holidays.
Ito 一家暑假搭飛機到沖繩度假。
collocation: travel by plane
Marcus fell asleep on the plane and missed the meal service.
Marcus 在飛機上睡著了，錯過了餐點服務。
Heavy snow at the airport delayed every plane leaving for Tokyo.
機場下大雪，每一班飛往東京的飛機都被延誤。
Lina was so excited that she ran to the window to see the plane take off.
Lina 興奮得跑到窗邊，要看那架飛機起飛。
文法句型
by plane
on a plane
用法筆記
More informal than 'aircraft' and shorter than the full word 'airplane' (US) or 'aeroplane' (UK). Travellers usually say 'by plane' (no article) when describing the means of travel, but 'on the plane' when talking about being inside one.
常見錯誤
2. in geometry, a perfectly flat surface that has length and width but no thickness
平面
幾何學中無限延伸的平坦面
in geometry, a perfectly flat surface that has length and width but no thickness, and that stretches out endlessly in every direction.
Mr. Chen drew two crossing planes on the whiteboard to show how they meet in a line.
Chen 老師在白板上畫了兩個相交的平面，示範它們會交於一條直線。
math context: two planes meeting
Mr. Tanaka asked his class to mark three points on the board and draw the plane that passes through them.
Tanaka 老師請全班在黑板上標出三個點，並畫出通過這三個點的平面。
math context: three points define a plane
The architect rotated the model so that the roof lay parallel to the horizontal plane.
建築師把模型轉了個方向，讓屋頂與水平面平行。
In the diagram, the arrow points outwards from the plane of the page.
圖中的箭頭指向頁面所在平面之外的方向。
- curve
a curved shape rather than a flat surface
文法句型
a plane of [noun]
用法筆記
Mostly used in mathematics, physics and engineering. Distinguish from sense 3 (a metaphorical 'level'): this sense names a real or imagined geometric surface; sense 3 names a stage or rank.
3. one specific level among many on which thought, feeling, or existence can take p
層次；境界
思想、感受或生活的某種層次
one specific level among many on which thought, feeling, or existence can take place, often pictured as higher or lower than another.
After months of meditation, the monk said he felt he was living on a calmer plane.
經過數月的禪修，那位僧人說他覺得自己活在一個更平靜的境界裡。
phrase: on a [adj] plane
Reading great novels can lift the mind to a higher plane of thought.
閱讀偉大的小說可以把心靈提升到更高的思想層次。
collocation: a higher plane of [noun]
As a chess player, Magnus operates on a completely different plane from his rivals.
在西洋棋的世界裡，Magnus 與其他對手完全處在不同的層次上。
The two writers debated politics on an intellectual plane, never raising their voices.
兩位作家在思想層次上辯論政治，從頭到尾都沒有提高音量。
文法句型
on a [adj] plane
on a different plane
用法筆記
Often appears with adjectives such as 'higher', 'different', 'spiritual', 'intellectual', 'moral'. Distinguish from sense 2 (geometry): no real surface is involved here, only a metaphorical level.
常見錯誤
4. a hand tool that a carpenter pushes along a piece of wood to shave off thin curl
刨刀
木工用來刨平木頭的手工具
a hand tool that a carpenter pushes along a piece of wood to shave off thin curls and leave the surface smooth and even.
Grandpa kept his old wooden plane on a shelf above the workbench in the garage.
爺爺把那把舊的木刨刀放在車庫工作台上方的架子上。
Marcus picked up the plane and ran it gently along the rough edge of the door.
Marcus 拿起刨刀，沿著門那道粗糙的邊緣輕輕推過去。
verb pairing: run a plane along [wood]
A sharp plane peels off paper-thin shavings that curl away from the blade.
鋒利的刨刀會刨出薄如紙的木屑，從刀刃旁邊捲開。
The carpentry teacher showed the class how to set the blade of a plane correctly.
木工老師示範給全班看，刨刀的刀刃要怎麼正確地調整。
- smoothing tool
general descriptive term; 'plane' is the standard name
用法筆記
Refers to the tool only; the action of using it is the verb 'plane' (verb sense 1). Includes both the small hand plane and larger workshop versions.
5. a tall city tree with broad, hand-shaped leaves and bark that flakes off in patc
懸鈴木
葉子寬大、樹皮會剝落的城市行道樹
a tall city tree with broad, hand-shaped leaves and bark that flakes off in patches; very often planted along streets and squares, especially in London.
Rows of old planes lined the avenue, casting cool shade over the cafe tables.
整排老懸鈴木夾道而立，為咖啡店外的桌子撒下涼蔭。
In autumn the planes in the square dropped huge yellow leaves onto the pavement.
秋天時，廣場上的懸鈴木把巨大的黃葉灑落在人行道上。
The London plane is famous for surviving smoke and pollution in busy cities.
倫敦懸鈴木以能在繁忙城市裡耐受煙塵與污染聞名。
Sarah pointed at the patchy bark of a plane tree and asked what kind it was.
Sarah 指著一棵懸鈴木斑駁的樹皮，問那是什麼樹。
- plane tree
the full compound, used to avoid confusion with sense 1
- sycamore
American English name for related trees in the same family
文法句型
a plane tree
London plane
用法筆記
Often called a 'plane tree' in full to avoid confusion with the aircraft sense. Most familiar in British English; American English speakers more often say 'sycamore' for similar trees.
plane — 動詞
1. to shave thin curls off a piece of wood using a sharp carpenter's tool, so that
刨平；刨光
用刨刀把木頭表面削平整
to shave thin curls off a piece of wood using a sharp carpenter's tool, so that its surface becomes flat, smooth, or the size you want.
Marcus carefully planed the new shelf until it slid neatly into the bookcase.
Marcus 細心地把新層板刨平，直到它能整齊地滑進書櫃裡。
The carpenter planed the bottom of the door so it no longer scraped the floor.
木工把那扇門的底部刨平，門就不再刮到地板了。
transitive: plane + concrete object
Lina helped her father plane down the rough edges of the homemade picnic table.
Lina 幫爸爸把自製野餐桌的粗糙邊緣刨平整。
If you plane off too much wood, the lid will no longer cover the box properly.
如果你刨掉太多木頭，蓋子就再也蓋不住盒子了。
文法句型
plane sth
plane sth down
plane sth off
用法筆記
Always takes a wooden object (or sometimes a similar soft material). Frequently combined with 'down' (to make thinner overall) or 'off' (to remove a specific part).
常見錯誤
plane — 形容詞
1. perfectly flat, with every point at the same level, used especially in maths and
平的；平面的
完全平坦、各點等高的（多用於數理）
perfectly flat, with every point at the same level, used especially in maths and technical descriptions of shapes and surfaces.
Plane geometry deals with shapes such as triangles and circles drawn on a flat surface.
平面幾何研究的是畫在平面上的三角形、圓形等圖形。
compound: plane geometry
The mirror inside the telescope must have a perfectly plane surface to work well.
望遠鏡裡的鏡子必須有完全平整的鏡面才能正常運作。
collocation: plane surface
In her physics class, Sarah learned about waves travelling along a plane boundary.
Sarah 在物理課上學到沿著平面交界傳遞的波。
The engineer checked that every plane face of the metal block met at a right angle.
工程師檢查金屬塊的每一個平面，確認它們相交都是直角。
文法句型
plane + noun
用法筆記
Almost always sits before a noun ('a plane surface', 'plane geometry') and rarely after a verb. In everyday speech, prefer the everyday word 'flat'; keep 'plane' for technical or mathematical contexts.