100個英文慣用語及其含義：必學清單
就算你的文法完美、詞彙量達到一萬個單字，在與母語者的對話中，你仍可能聽不懂每三句話中的一句。原因是什麼？慣用語。母語者不斷地、自然地使用它們，甚至不需要思考。
這是必學清單：每個英語學習者都應該認識的100個慣用語。這些不是罕見、文學性或過時的表達。這些是你在電影、會議、播客、新聞和日常對話中真正會聽到的慣用語。每一個都包含清晰的含義和自然的例句。
- 總計：100個慣用語
- 格式：慣用語 → 含義 → 例句
- 分類：10個主題
- 程度：B1–C1
完整的500+慣用語合集，請見 English Idioms: 500+ Common Expressions。想深入了解慣用語的運作方式，請見 Idiomatic Expressions in English。
日常情境
| # | 慣用語 | 含義 | 例句 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | a piece of cake | 非常簡單的事 | The exam was a piece of cake — I finished in 20 minutes. |
| 2 | break the ice | 在尷尬場合中開啟話題 | He told a joke to break the ice at the meeting. |
| 3 | call it a day | 結束一天的工作 | We’ve been at this for hours — let’s call it a day. |
| 4 | get out of hand | 變得失控 | The argument got out of hand and people started shouting. |
| 5 | no-brainer | 非常容易做出的決定 | Accepting the scholarship was a no-brainer. |
| 6 | on the same page | 意見一致、想法相同 | Before we continue, let’s make sure we’re all on the same page. |
| 7 | at the end of the day | 最終、綜合考量之後 | At the end of the day, what matters is your health. |
| 8 | give it a shot | 嘗試某件事 | I’ve never painted before, but I’ll give it a shot. |
| 9 | under the weather | 感覺不舒服或生病 | I’m feeling a bit under the weather — I think I caught a cold. |
| 10 | the last straw | 引發反應的最後一個問題 | His constant lateness was the last straw — she fired him. |
成功、失敗與努力
| # | 慣用語 | 含義 | 例句 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | hit the nail on the head | 說得完全正確 | You hit the nail on the head — that’s exactly the problem. |
| 12 | back to square one | 從頭開始 | The project failed, so we’re back to square one. |
| 13 | go the extra mile | 付出比預期更多的努力 | She always goes the extra mile for her customers. |
| 14 | miss the boat | 錯過機會 | If you don’t apply by Friday, you’ll miss the boat. |
| 15 | cut corners | 以廉價或草率的方式做事 | They cut corners on the building and now the roof leaks. |
| 16 | the ball is in your court | 輪到你行動或決定 | I’ve made my offer — the ball is in your court. |
| 17 | learn the ropes | 學習工作或任務的運作方式 | It took me a month to learn the ropes at my new job. |
| 18 | throw in the towel | 放棄 | After five failed attempts, she threw in the towel. |
| 19 | burn the midnight oil | 工作到深夜 | Students burn the midnight oil before final exams. |
| 20 | ahead of the curve | 比他人更先進或進步 | Their company is always ahead of the curve with technology. |
金錢與商業
| # | 慣用語 | 含義 | 例句 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | cost an arm and a leg | 非常昂貴 | The car repair cost an arm and a leg. |
| 22 | break the bank | 負擔不起的費用 | A weekend trip doesn’t have to break the bank. |
| 23 | make ends meet | 勉強維持生計 | It’s tough to make ends meet on a single income. |
| 24 | get the ball rolling | 啟動一個流程或活動 | Let’s get the ball rolling on this project. |
| 25 | think outside the box | 有創意、非傳統地思考 | We need to think outside the box to solve this problem. |
| 26 | bring to the table | 對某情況有所貢獻 | What experience do you bring to the table? |
| 27 | the bottom line | 最重要的事實或結果 | The bottom line is that we need to increase sales by 20%. |
| 28 | in the red | 負債、虧損 | The company has been in the red for three consecutive quarters. |
| 29 | a ballpark figure | 大約的估算 | Can you give me a ballpark figure for the renovation cost? |
| 30 | put all your eggs in one basket | 將一切押注在單一計畫上 | Don’t put all your eggs in one basket — diversify your investments. |
情緒與感受
| # | 慣用語 | 含義 | 例句 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 31 | on cloud nine | 極度快樂 | She’s been on cloud nine since she got the promotion. |
| 32 | over the moon | 非常高興 | They were over the moon when they heard about the baby. |
| 33 | down in the dumps | 感到悲傷或沮喪 | He’s been down in the dumps ever since the breakup. |
| 34 | butterflies in my stomach | 緊張的興奮感 | I always get butterflies in my stomach before a presentation. |
| 35 | blow off steam | 釋放壓力或憤怒 | After a stressful day, I go for a run to blow off steam. |
| 36 | keep a stiff upper lip | 保持冷靜、不表露情緒 | Despite the bad news, she kept a stiff upper lip. |
| 37 | lose your cool | 發怒或心煩意亂 | Try not to lose your cool during the negotiation. |
| 38 | get cold feet | 變得緊張猶豫 | He got cold feet the night before the wedding. |
| 39 | have a heart of gold | 是個非常善良慷慨的人 | She has a heart of gold — she volunteers every weekend. |
| 40 | sick and tired | 完全感到沮喪和惱怒 | I’m sick and tired of hearing the same excuses. |
溝通
| # | 慣用語 | 含義 | 例句 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 41 | beat around the bush | 避免談論重點 | Stop beating around the bush and tell me what happened. |
| 42 | spill the beans | 洩露秘密 | Someone spilled the beans about the surprise party. |
| 43 | get straight to the point | 直接說重點 | I’ll get straight to the point — we’re cutting the budget. |
| 44 | speak your mind | 說出自己真正的想法 | She’s never afraid to speak her mind in meetings. |
| 45 | read between the lines | 理解隱含的意思 | If you read between the lines, it’s clear he’s unhappy. |
| 46 | keep someone in the loop | 讓某人隨時了解情況 | Please keep me in the loop on any changes. |
| 47 | ring a bell | 聽起來很熟悉 | The name rings a bell, but I can’t remember where I heard it. |
| 48 | word of mouth | 口耳相傳的資訊 | The restaurant became famous through word of mouth. |
| 49 | take with a grain of salt | 不要完全相信某事 | Take online reviews with a grain of salt. |
| 50 | cut to the chase | 快速切入重點 | Let’s cut to the chase — what’s your offer? |
人際關係
| # | 慣用語 | 含義 | 例句 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 51 | see eye to eye | 完全同意 | We don’t always see eye to eye on politics, but we respect each other. |
| 52 | stab someone in the back | 背叛信任你的人 | He stabbed his partner in the back by stealing the idea. |
| 53 | give someone the cold shoulder | 故意忽視某人 | After the argument, she gave him the cold shoulder for a week. |
| 54 | bend over backwards | 非常努力地幫助某人 | The hotel staff bent over backwards to make our stay perfect. |
| 55 | bury the hatchet | 在爭論後和解 | It’s time to bury the hatchet and move forward. |
| 56 | hit it off | 與某人立刻相處融洽 | We hit it off at the conference and became business partners. |
| 57 | two-faced | 不真誠、對不同的人說不同的話 | Don’t trust her — she’s completely two-faced. |
| 58 | give someone the benefit of the doubt | 在不確定的情況下信任某人 | I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt this time. |
| 59 | go behind someone’s back | 未經許可秘密行事 | She went behind my back and complained to the manager. |
| 60 | thick as thieves | 非常親密的朋友 | Those two have been thick as thieves since childhood. |
時間
| # | 慣用語 | 含義 | 例句 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61 | in the nick of time | 勉強及時趕到 | The ambulance arrived in the nick of time. |
| 62 | once in a blue moon | 非常少見 | I only go to the cinema once in a blue moon now. |
| 63 | around the clock | 一天24小時、不間斷 | The hospital operates around the clock. |
| 64 | at the eleventh hour | 在最後一刻 | The deal was saved at the eleventh hour. |
| 65 | time flies | 時間過得很快 | Time flies when you’re having fun. |
| 66 | kill time | 在等待時做某事打發時間 | I killed time at the airport by reading a book. |
| 67 | behind the times | 過時的、老舊的 | His teaching methods are behind the times. |
| 68 | against the clock | 匆忙、時間有限 | We’re working against the clock to finish before the deadline. |
| 69 | better late than never | 遲做總比不做好 | You finally submitted the report — better late than never. |
| 70 | stand the test of time | 長期保持相關性或效用 | Their friendship has stood the test of time. |
知識與學習
| # | 慣用語 | 含義 | 例句 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 71 | learn the hard way | 從痛苦的錯誤中學習 | He learned the hard way not to skip backup copies. |
| 72 | a steep learning curve | 一開始很難學習的事物 | There’s a steep learning curve with this software. |
| 73 | know something inside out | 徹底了解某事 | She knows the tax code inside out. |
| 74 | pick someone’s brain | 尋求建議或資訊 | Can I pick your brain about the marketing strategy? |
| 75 | food for thought | 值得思考的事情 | Your proposal gave us a lot of food for thought. |
| 76 | in a nutshell | 總結、簡而言之 | In a nutshell, we need more funding and more time. |
| 77 | get the hang of it | 學會如何做某事 | The software is confusing at first, but you’ll get the hang of it. |
| 78 | scratch the surface | 只處理了某事的一小部分 | We’ve only scratched the surface of this topic. |
| 79 | the tip of the iceberg | 更大問題中只是小小的可見部分 | The complaints we’ve received are just the tip of the iceberg. |
| 80 | a quick study | 學習速度快的人 | She’s a quick study — she mastered the software in two days. |
問題與困難
| # | 慣用語 | 含義 | 例句 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 81 | between a rock and a hard place | 陷入兩難、沒有好選擇 | He’s between a rock and a hard place — resign or accept the demotion. |
| 82 | the elephant in the room | 明顯卻無人願意討論的問題 | The company’s debt is the elephant in the room. |
| 83 | a blessing in disguise | 看似不好但結果是好事 | Losing that job was a blessing in disguise — I found a better one. |
| 84 | add fuel to the fire | 使糟糕的情況更糟 | His sarcastic comment only added fuel to the fire. |
| 85 | a can of worms | 複雜麻煩的情況 | Asking about the budget opened a whole can of worms. |
| 86 | nip it in the bud | 在問題惡化前阻止它 | Address the issue now before it grows — nip it in the bud. |
| 87 | turn a blind eye | 故意忽視不對的事情 | The manager turned a blind eye to the safety violations. |
| 88 | weather the storm | 渡過困難時期 | The company managed to weather the storm during the recession. |
| 89 | at the end of your rope | 已到耐心或忍耐的極限 | After months of problems, I’m at the end of my rope. |
| 90 | up the creek without a paddle | 陷入非常困難且無解的情況 | If the funding falls through, we’re up the creek without a paddle. |
行動與決策
| # | 慣用語 | 含義 | 例句 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 91 | bite the bullet | 接受困難並面對它 | I bit the bullet and scheduled the dentist appointment. |
| 92 | pull someone’s leg | 開玩笑、戲弄某人 | I’m just pulling your leg — of course I didn’t sell the car. |
| 93 | let the cat out of the bag | 意外洩露秘密 | Who let the cat out of the bag about the merger? |
| 94 | play it by ear | 隨機應變 | We don’t have a detailed plan — let’s play it by ear. |
| 95 | sit on the fence | 拒絕做決定 | Stop sitting on the fence and choose a side. |
| 96 | bite off more than you can chew | 承擔太多責任 | I bit off more than I could chew by agreeing to three projects at once. |
| 97 | cross that bridge when you come to it | 等問題真正發生時再處理 | Don’t worry about it now — we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. |
| 98 | leave no stone unturned | 嘗試每一個可能的方法 | The investigators left no stone unturned in the search. |
| 99 | jump on the bandwagon | 跟隨流行趨勢 | Every company is jumping on the AI bandwagon. |
| 100 | sleep on it | 等到次日再做決定 | That’s a big commitment — why don’t you sleep on it? |
如何學習這100個慣用語
第一步：不要一次背完100個。 每週選一個主題（10個慣用語）。花一週時間在電影、播客和文章中遇到這些慣用語。
第二步：寫下個人化的例句。 針對每個慣用語，寫2–3個關於你自己生活的句子。「I got butterflies in my stomach before my driving test（考駕照前我很緊張）」比制式例句更容易記住。
第三步：在真實英文中留意慣用語。 一旦你開始注意，你會在各處發現這些慣用語——電視節目、新聞標題、社群媒體和對話中。每一次自然的接觸都能強化你的記憶。
第四步：使用間隔重複法。 將這些慣用語加入你的 Linglify 詞彙庫，以最佳間隔自動複習。
第五步：主動使用它們。 從最安全、最通用的慣用語開始：at the end of the day、get the ball rolling、on the same page、in a nutshell。在電子郵件、對話和寫作中使用它們。
練習詞彙
boom
名詞
繁榮
範例
- The boom of thunder echoed across the valley.
- The technology boom created many new millionaires.
cooperate
動詞
合作
evaluate
動詞
評估, 估價
範例
- Companies evaluate job candidates based on experience, skills, and personality.
- Teachers evaluate student progress through tests, projects, and classroom participation.
graduate
動詞
畢業
範例
- She will graduate from university next year with a degree in engineering.
- Students must complete all requirements before they can graduate from high school.
horizon
名詞
地平線
範例
- The sun disappeared behind the horizon as evening approached.
- Traveling broadens your horizon and exposes you to new cultures.
indispensable
形容詞
不可或缺的
範例
- Clean water is indispensable for human survival and good health.
- Her experience and skills make her indispensable to the research team.
jury
名詞
陪審團
範例
- The jury deliberated for several hours before reaching a verdict.
- The talent show jury consisted of professional musicians and entertainers.
lifelong
形容詞
終身的
範例
- Learning is a lifelong process that never truly ends.
- Their lifelong friendship began during elementary school years.
motivated
形容詞
有動力的
範例
- Motivated employee seeks additional responsibilities and challenges at work.
- Success requires being motivated even when facing difficult obstacles.
normally
副詞
通常, 平常
範例
- Heart normally beats between sixty and hundred times per minute.
- Students normally arrive at school before morning bell rings.
off
形容詞
去除
範例
- Please turn off the lights before leaving the room.
- The dog ran off into the forest chasing wild rabbits.
prejudice
名詞
偏見
範例
- Education helps overcome prejudice and promotes understanding.
- Racial prejudice damages communities and individuals alike.
resolve
動詞
解決
範例
- Mediator helps parties resolve dispute through negotiation.
- Technical team will resolve software problems quickly.
stress
動詞
使緊張
範例
- Heavy workload may stress employees beyond limits.
- Teacher will stress importance of homework completion.
total
形容詞
全部的
範例
- Total cost includes all fees and expenses.
- Total silence fills room during meditation session.
tragedy
名詞
悲劇
範例
- Natural tragedy affects thousands of innocent people.
- Personal tragedy changes person's life perspective completely.
union
名詞
聯盟
範例
- Labor union protects worker rights and interests.
- Marriage union joins two people in partnership.
voyage
名詞
航程
範例
- Space exploration represents humanity's greatest voyage into the unknown.
- The ocean voyage from Europe to America took several weeks in the past.
candidate
名詞
候選人
範例
- Each presidential candidate presented their policy plans to voters.
- The job candidate impressed the interview panel with her experience.
discourage
動詞
使灰心, 洩氣
範例
- Don't let one failure discourage you from pursuing your dreams.
- High prices discourage many people from buying organic food products.
donate
動詞
捐贈
範例
- Many people donate money to charities that help homeless individuals.
- She decided to donate blood to help patients in emergency situations.
firmly
副詞
堅定地
範例
- Hold the rope firmly while climbing down the steep mountain slope.
- The manager firmly believed in treating all employees with respect.
guide
動詞
指導, 引導
範例
- Parents should guide their children to make responsible decisions.
- The experienced hiker will guide the group through the mountain trail safely.
humorous
形容詞
幽默的, 風趣的
範例
- She writes humorous articles about everyday life and family experiences.
- The humorous speech made everyone laugh and lightened the serious mood.
admission
名詞
入學許可
範例
- Her admission to the prestigious medical school was the result of hard work.
- The museum offers free admission on the first Sunday of every month.
常見問題
最常用的10個慣用語是什麼？
根據口語和書面英語的使用頻率：at the end of the day、a piece of cake、break the ice、on the same page、time flies、in a nutshell、the bottom line、get the ball rolling、cost an arm and a leg、bite the bullet。這些慣用語在幾乎任何英語對話中都可以安全使用——無論是職業、學術還是日常場合。
慣用語和諺語有什麼區別？
慣用語是指意思與字面意義不同的片語（「spill the beans」= 洩露秘密）。諺語是表達普遍真理的完整句子（「Don’t put all your eggs in one basket」= 不要把一切押注在單一計畫上）。諺語給出建議；慣用語描述情況。許多諺語也具有慣用語的性質，使得這個區別在實踐中並不明顯。
在 IELTS 口語中可以使用慣用語嗎？
可以——而且應該使用。在 IELTS 口語測試中自然地使用2–3個慣用語，可以展示詞彙廣度並提高分數。使用常見、廣泛理解的慣用語（「at the end of the day」、「a piece of cake」），而不是晦澀的慣用語。強迫或錯誤地使用慣用語會降低你的分數。有關 IELTS 專用慣用語，請見 Idioms for IELTS Speaking。
學習100個慣用語需要多長時間？
以每週10個慣用語、每日複習的速度，大約10週可以學完全部100個。然而，「學會」意味著主動使用——能夠在自己的句子中自然地使用慣用語，而不只是認識它。辨識需要2–3次接觸；產出需要8–10次。使用間隔重複法可以大幅加速這個過程。
英式英語和美式英語的慣用語相同嗎？
大多數常見慣用語在英式英語和美式英語中是共通的。然而，有些是某一種的特有表達：「Bob’s your uncle」（英式）、「hit a home run」（美式）。有關英式特有表達，請見 British Slang Words: 200+ Expressions。本清單中的100個慣用語在兩種變體中都能被普遍理解。
