复合形式：
or | OR |
| a dozen or so adj | informal (around 12) (非正式用语) | SCSimplified Chinese 大约十二个，十二个左右 dà yuē shí èr gè，shí èr gè zuǒ yòu |
| | Can you please bring me back a dozen or so eggs from the grocery store? |
| all or nothing n | (no compromise) | SCSimplified Chinese 孤注一掷 gū zhù yí zhì
TCTraditional Chinese 孤注一擲 |
| | | SCSimplified Chinese 不成功则成仁 |
| all-or-nothing adj | (no compromise) | SCSimplified Chinese 孤注一掷 gū zhù yí zhì
TCTraditional Chinese 孤注一擲 |
| | | SCSimplified Chinese 宁为玉碎, 不为瓦全 |
| and/or conj | informal (either or both) | SCSimplified Chinese 和/或 |
| believe it or not expr | (though it may seem incredible) | SCSimplified Chinese 信不信由你 |
| | Believe it or not, I just won the jackpot in the state lottery! |
| black or white adj | figurative (clear cut) | SCSimplified Chinese 黑白分明的 hēi bái fēn míng de |
| | | SCSimplified Chinese 泾渭分明的 hēi bái fēn míng de，jīng wèi fēn míng de |
| | | SCSimplified Chinese 界限清楚的 hēi bái fēn míng de，jiè xiàn qīng chǔ de |
| black or white adj | figurative (viewed simplistically) (比喻过度简单地看待事物) | SCSimplified Chinese 非黑即白的，非此即彼的 fēi hēi jí bái de，fēi cǐ jí bǐ de |
| | There is no gray area here, it's black or white. |
| by hook or by crook adv | figurative (by any means necessary) | SCSimplified Chinese 不择手段 |
| come hell or high water adv | (whatever the difficulties) | SCSimplified Chinese 无论遇见什么困难 wú lùn yù jiàn shén me kùn nán |
| | | SCSimplified Chinese 不论上刀山下火海 wú lùn yù jiàn shén me kùn nán，bú lùn shàng dāo shān xià huǒ hǎi |
| | Come hell or high water, I am going to finish this marathon. |
| come rain or shine adv | (whatever the weather) | SCSimplified Chinese 风雨无阻，不论晴雨，不管打雷下雨 fēng yǔ wú zǔ，bú lùn qíng yǔ，bù guǎn dǎ léi xià yǔ |
| | Come rain or shine, we are going to the beach tomorrow! |
| | 无论明天刮风下雨，我们都要去海滩！ |
| come rain or shine adv | (whatever happens) | SCSimplified Chinese 不论如何，不论什么情况 bú lùn rú hé，bú lùn shén me qíng kuàng
TCTraditional Chinese 不論如何 |
| | Come rain or shine, I will never abandon you. |
common or garden,
common-or-garden adj | UK, figurative, informal (ordinary) | SCSimplified Chinese 普通的 pǔ tōng de |
| | | SCSimplified Chinese 平凡的 pǔ tōng de ，píng fán de |
| do or die expr | figurative (critical situation) | SCSimplified Chinese 不成功毋宁死 bù chéng gōng wú nìng sǐ |
| | | SCSimplified Chinese 拼命干不畏艰险 bù chéng gōng wú nìng sǐ，pīn mìng gàn bú wèi jiān xiǎn |
| | It's do or die for our team today. |
| do-or-die adj | figurative (situation: critical) | SCSimplified Chinese 破釜沉舟的 |
| | | SCSimplified Chinese 紧要关头的 |
| | Tomorrow's game is a do-or-die situation for the struggling team. |
double or quits,
also UK: double or nothing n | (gambling: type of bet) (赌博、打赌) | SCSimplified Chinese 要么双倍付钱，要么一笔勾销 |
double-or-quits,
also UK: double-or-nothing n as adj | (bet: risk is double) | SCSimplified Chinese 要么赢双倍 |
| | | SCSimplified Chinese 要么一笔勾销的 |
| | I won $100 in a double-or-nothing bet. |
| either [...] or conj | (one or another) | SCSimplified Chinese 或者 huò zhě
TCTraditional Chinese 或者 |
| | | SCSimplified Chinese 要么 huò zhě，yào me |
| | Either you love me or you don't! |
| | 你要么爱我，要么不爱！ |
either/or,
either-or adj | informal (with two choices) | SCSimplified Chinese 两者取一
TCTraditional Chinese 兩者取一 |
| | | SCSimplified Chinese 非此即彼 fēi cǐ jí bǐ |
| | The issue often is presented as an either/or proposition: either you eagerly accept all technology, or you are behind the times. |
| feel strongly one way or the other v expr | (have a passionate opinion) | SCSimplified Chinese 对...态度强烈 |
| 备注: Used in negative sentences, in questions, or where there is doubt. |
| fight or flight n | (instinctive response) | SCSimplified Chinese 战或逃 |
| fight-or-flight n as adj | (denoting instinctive response) | SCSimplified Chinese 战斗或者逃跑的本能反应，本能反应的 běn néng fǎn yìng de |
| for better or for worse adv | (whatever the consequences) | SCSimplified Chinese 不管是好是坏 bù guǎn shì hǎo shì huài |
| | | SCSimplified Chinese 不管怎么样 bù guǎn shì hǎo shì huài，bù guǎn zěn me yàng |
| | | SCSimplified Chinese 不管结果如何 bù guǎn shì hǎo shì huài，bù guǎn jié guǒ rú hé |
| | I will be your wife for better or for worse. |
| garden-variety adj | US, figurative (common, unexceptional) | SCSimplified Chinese 普通的, 平凡的 |
| give or take [sth] expr | informal (plus or minus) | SCSimplified Chinese 多或少… |
| | I've been away from home for three months, give or take a few days. |
| give or take expr | informal (more or less) | SCSimplified Chinese 或多或少
TCTraditional Chinese 或多或少 |
| | | SCSimplified Chinese 大约 dà yuē
TCTraditional Chinese 大約 |
| | | SCSimplified Chinese 差不多 chà bù duō
TCTraditional Chinese 差不多 |
| | My new car cost $9000, give or take. |
| heads or tails n | (tossing coin to make decision) | SCSimplified Chinese 掷硬币决定 |
| | The players used heads or tails to decide who would go first. |
| | 玩家用掷硬币来决定谁先走。 |
| Heads or tails? interj | (coin toss: inviting call) | SCSimplified Chinese 正面还是反面？ |
| | "Heads or tails?" the referee asked. |
| heads or tails n | (gambling game) (赌博游戏) | SCSimplified Chinese 掷硬币
TCTraditional Chinese 擲硬幣 |
hit and miss,
hit-and-miss,
hit or miss,
hit-or-miss adj | (unpredictable, unreliable) | SCSimplified Chinese 有时命中有时没有命中的 yǒu shí mìng zhòng yǒu shí méi yǒu mìng zhòng de |
| | | SCSimplified Chinese 不论成功与否 yǒu shí mìng zhòng yǒu shí méi yǒu mìng zhòng de，bú lùn chéng gōng yǔ fǒu |
| | | SCSimplified Chinese 胡乱地 yǒu shí mìng zhòng yǒu shí méi yǒu mìng zhòng de，hú luàn de |
| | The weather is very hit and miss for July - rain one day, sunshine the next. |
hors d'oeuvre,
plural: same or hors d'oeuvres n | French (food: appetizer) | SCSimplified Chinese 开胃菜 kāi wèi cài
TCTraditional Chinese 開胃菜 |
| | If you fill up on hors d'oeuvres, you will have no room left for dinner |
| | 如果你用开胃菜填饱了肚子，你就吃不下晚饭了。 |
| in some way or other adv | (somehow) | SCSimplified Chinese 以某种方法 yǐ mǒu zhǒng fāng fǎ |
| | | SCSimplified Chinese 无论以哪种方式 yǐ mǒu zhǒng fāng fǎ，wú lùn yǐ nǎ zhǒng fāng shì |
| | | SCSimplified Chinese 用种种办法 yǐ mǒu zhǒng fāng fǎ，yòng zhǒng zhǒng bàn fǎ |
| | I'd like to help him in some way or other because he deserves to succeed. |
| know a thing or two v expr | informal (be experienced in [sth]) | SCSimplified Chinese 有所了解 yǒu suǒ liǎo jiě |
| | After 20 years on the job, he knows a thing or two about construction. |
| learn a thing or two v expr | informal (become knowledgeable) | SCSimplified Chinese 学到一点 xué dào yì diǎn
TCTraditional Chinese 學到一點 |
| | Stick around and watch; you may learn a thing or two. |
| life-or-death n as adj | (with death as possible result) | SCSimplified Chinese 生死攸关的，生死存亡的 shēng sǐ yōu guān de |
| life-or-death n as adj | figurative (extremely important) (比喻义) | SCSimplified Chinese 生死攸关的，生死存亡的 shēng sǐ yōu guān de |
| | | SCSimplified Chinese 关系重大的 |
| like it or lump it expr | slang (whether or not it pleases you) | SCSimplified Chinese 无论愿不愿意 |
| | | SCSimplified Chinese 无论喜不喜欢 |
| | You're coming shopping with me, like it or lump it. |
| little or no adj | (hardly any) | SCSimplified Chinese 几乎没有的 jī hū méi yǒu de |
| | I haven't done any revising so there's little or no chance of me passing the exam. |
make heads or tails of [sth] (US),
make head or tail of [sth],
make head nor tail of [sth] (UK) v expr | (understand [sth]) | SCSimplified Chinese 把…搞清楚 |
| | | SCSimplified Chinese 把…弄明白 |
| 备注: Usually in the negative. |
| make or break [sth] v expr | informal (cause success, failure) | SCSimplified Chinese 要么成之，要么毁之 yào me chéng zhī，yào me huǐ zhī
TCTraditional Chinese 要麼成之要麼失之 |
| | That critic's reviews can make or break a new restaurant. |
| make-or-break adj | informal (success or failure) | SCSimplified Chinese 成败在此一举的 |
| | | SCSimplified Chinese 胜负关键的 |
| | It is make-or-break time for the store after two years of declining sales. |
a matter of life and death,
a matter of life or death,
a life-or-death matter n | (issue of vital importance) | SCSimplified Chinese 生死攸关的问题 shēng sǐ yōu guān de wèn tí |
| | | SCSimplified Chinese 紧要问题 |
| | Getting out of a burning house fast is a matter of life and death. |
| more or less adv | (to a greater or lesser extent) | SCSimplified Chinese 或多或少地 huò duō huò shǎo de |
| | I have more or less decided to delay going to college for a year. |
| | 我或多或少已经决定要推迟一年再去上大学。 |
no ifs,
ands,
or buts expr | informal (no excuses are permitted) | SCSimplified Chinese 不得推托 bù dé tuī tuō |
| | | SCSimplified Chinese 不要找借口和理由 bù dé tuī tuō，bú yào zhǎo jiè kǒu hé lǐ yóu |
| | I need you to finish that report today, no ifs, ands, or buts. |
| not for love or money adv | (impossible to obtain by any means) | SCSimplified Chinese 无论如何都不 wú lùn rú hé dōu bù |
| | | SCSimplified Chinese 怎么样也不 wú lùn rú hé dōu bù，zěn me yàng yě bú / zěn me yàng yě bù |
| | You can't get a table in that restaurant for love or money. |
| now or never expr | (final chance) | SCSimplified Chinese 机不可失 jī bù kě shī
TCTraditional Chinese 機不可失 |
| | | SCSimplified Chinese 时不再来 jī bù kě shī，shí bú zài lái |
| | You have to decide, it's now or never if you want to go to the concert. |
odd and even,
odd or even,
odds or evens n | (betting game) (一种游戏) | SCSimplified Chinese 猜单双 |
| once or twice expr | (a couple of times, a few times) | SCSimplified Chinese 几次 jǐ cì |
| | | SCSimplified Chinese 一两次 |
| one hundred or so adj | informal (about a hundred) | SCSimplified Chinese 一百左右 yì bǎi zuǒ yòu |
| | It's a middle-sized plane, with one hundred or so seats. |
| one or the other expr | (either one of a pair) | SCSimplified Chinese 非此即彼 fēi cǐ jí bǐ |
| | | SCSimplified Chinese 其中之一 |
| one or two adj | (a couple) | SCSimplified Chinese 若干的 |
| | | SCSimplified Chinese 几个 jǐ gè |
| | There are one or two questions I'd like to ask you. |
| one or two pron | (a couple) | SCSimplified Chinese 一点点 yì diǎn dian
TCTraditional Chinese 一點點 |
| | | SCSimplified Chinese 一两个 |
| | | SCSimplified Chinese 不多 |
| | I don't have many photos of the party; I only took one or two. |
| one or two of adj | (a couple of) | SCSimplified Chinese 几个 jǐ gè |
| | | SCSimplified Chinese 若干的 |
| | One or two of you may remember me from last year's conference. |
| one way or another expr | (by whatever means, somehow) | SCSimplified Chinese 用某种办法 |
| | | SCSimplified Chinese 以某种方式 yǐ mǒu zhǒng fāng shì |
| | One way or another, I will find the money to come and visit you. |
| one way or the other adv | (by either means) | SCSimplified Chinese 无论用怎样的方法 |
| | | SCSimplified Chinese 无论如何 wú lùn rú hé
TCTraditional Chinese 無論如何 |
| or else adv | (otherwise, if not) | SCSimplified Chinese 否则 fǒu zé
TCTraditional Chinese 否則 |
| | | SCSimplified Chinese 要不然 fǒu zé，yào bù rán
TCTraditional Chinese 要不然 |
| | Choose ham and eggs, or else ham and cheese. |
| | 选鸡蛋配火腿，要不然就奶酪配火腿。 |
| or else interj | informal (expressing a threat) | SCSimplified Chinese 要不然要你好看 |
| | You will do as I say, or else! |
| | 你会按我说的做，要不然要你好看！ |
| or more adv | (perhaps a larger quantity) | SCSimplified Chinese 或更多 |
| | It will take two hours or more just to drive through Chicago. |
| or nearest offer expr | UK (price is negotiable) | SCSimplified Chinese 可议价 |
| | | SCSimplified Chinese 或略低于此价 |
| or not expr | (giving negative alternative) | SCSimplified Chinese 或者不是 |
| | | SCSimplified Chinese 也说不定不是 |
| | I may be right, or not; we shall see. |
| or rather adv | (to be more accurate) | SCSimplified Chinese 更准确地说 gèng zhǔn què de shuō |
| | | SCSimplified Chinese 更确切地说 gèng zhǔn què de shuō，gèng què qiè de shuō |
| | I love reading; or rather, I love buying books. |
| or so adv | (approximately) | SCSimplified Chinese 大约 dà yuē
TCTraditional Chinese 大約 |
| | | SCSimplified Chinese 大概 dà yuē ，dà gài
TCTraditional Chinese 大概 |
| | The container could hold a litre or so of water. |
| | 这个容器大约能装下1升的水。 |
| or other pron | (distinct person or thing) | SCSimplified Chinese 其他人 qí tā rén |
| | Some person or other must have left this phone behind. |
person unknown,
person or persons unknown n | often plural (law: unstated party) | SCSimplified Chinese 某人 mǒu rén
TCTraditional Chinese 某人 |
| | | SCSimplified Chinese 某些人 |
| | The jury returned a verdict of manslaughter by person or persons unknown. |
| rain or shine adv | (whatever the weather) | SCSimplified Chinese 无论天气如何 |
| | | SCSimplified Chinese 风雨无阻 fēng yǔ wú zǔ |
| | The marathon run will take place rain or shine, although it will be postponed if there's lightning. |
| ready or not adv | (whether prepared or not) | SCSimplified Chinese 无论是否做好准备 |
| | Ready or not, I have to take my final exam today. |
| rhyme or reason n | figurative, usually in negative (sense) | SCSimplified Chinese 条理 tiáo lǐ
TCTraditional Chinese 條理 |
| | | SCSimplified Chinese 逻辑 tiáo lǐ，luó ji
TCTraditional Chinese 邏輯 |
| | I don't understand Tom's behavior; there's no rhyme or reason to it. |
| sink or swim v expr | figurative (fail or succeed) | SCSimplified Chinese 无论成败 wú lùn chéng bài
TCTraditional Chinese 無論成敗 |
| | | SCSimplified Chinese 任自生自灭 wú lùn chéng bài，rèn zì shēng zì miè |
| | | SCSimplified Chinese 任自生自灭 wú lùn chéng bài，rèn zì shēng zì miè |
| | It's sink or swim with this final exam. |
| somehow or other adv | (in an undetermined way) | SCSimplified Chinese 不知怎么回事 bù zhī zěn me huí shì |
| | | SCSimplified Chinese 不知怎么搞的 bù zhī zěn me huí shì，bù zhī zěn me gǎo de |
| | Jan studied the cliff face, determined to scale it somehow or other. |
| something or other n | ([sth] not remembered precisely) | SCSimplified Chinese （不确定的）某件事 bú què dìng de mǒu jiàn shì |
| | | SCSimplified Chinese 某个什么东西 bú què dìng de mǒu jiàn shì，mǒu gè shén me dōng xī |
| | Something or other didn't feel quite right about him. |
| | She told me something or other about not being able to pay the bill. |
| sooner or later adv | (at some time in the future) | SCSimplified Chinese 迟早 chí zǎo |
| | Keep up your life of crime and sooner or later you'll end up in prison! |
| ten or so adj | (about 10) | SCSimplified Chinese 十左右 shí zuǒ yòu |
| | | SCSimplified Chinese 大约十 shí zuǒ yòu，dà yuē shí |
| | In about ten or so days, I will have finished my exams! |
trick or treat,
trick-or-treat n | (Halloween tradition) (万圣节儿童讨要糖果的用语) | SCSimplified Chinese 不给糖果就捣蛋 bù gěi táng guǒ jiù dǎo dàn |
| | Trick or treat's the only thing I like about Hallowe'en. |
| | 不给糖果就捣蛋是我唯一喜欢万圣节的理由。 |
| Trick or treat! interj | (at Halloween) | SCSimplified Chinese 不给糖果就捣蛋 bù gěi táng guǒ jiù dǎo dàn |
| | The kids knocked on the door and shouted: "Trick or treat!" |
| | 孩子们敲门并喊道：“不给糖果就捣蛋！” |
| trick-or-treating n | (Halloween custom: going door to door) (万圣节孩子们上门玩的游戏) | SCSimplified Chinese 不给糖就捣乱 |
| | Last year, I took my brother trick-or-treating. |
| truth or dare n | (question-and-answer game) | SCSimplified Chinese 真心话大冒险 |
| whether ... or ... conj | (regardless of which) | SCSimplified Chinese 无论，不管 wú lùn，bù guǎn
TCTraditional Chinese 無論，不管 |
| | Anyone, whether rich or poor, can be affected by a natural disaster. |
| | 所有人，无论贫富，都会遭到自然灾害的影响。 |
| whether ... or ... conj | (if it is [sth] or [sth]) | SCSimplified Chinese 无论…还是, 不管…或者 |
| | Whether as a result of laziness or disinclination, the housework had clearly not been done for some time. |
| | 无论是出于懒惰还是不情愿使然，家务活显然有一段时间没有人做了。 |
| whether it be [sth] or [sth] expr | (if it is [sth] or [sth]) | SCSimplified Chinese 无论是...还是... |
| | | SCSimplified Chinese 不管是...还是... |
| | Whether it be raining or boiling hot, we're still going to the lake. |
whether or not,
whether or no conj | (no matter if, even if) | SCSimplified Chinese 不论是否… bú lùn shì fǒu |
| | We'll go to the game whether or not it rains (or: whether it rains or not). |
| | 不论是否下雨，我们都要去看比赛。 |
| without rhyme or reason adv | (inexplicably) | SCSimplified Chinese 莫名其妙 mò míng qí miào
TCTraditional Chinese 莫名其妙 |
| | | SCSimplified Chinese 无道理可循 mò míng qí miào，wú dào lǐ kě xún |
| | He yells at me without rhyme or reason, and I just can't understand why. |
| without rhyme or reason expr | (inexplicable) | SCSimplified Chinese 莫名其妙 mò míng qí miào
TCTraditional Chinese 莫名其妙 |
| | | SCSimplified Chinese 无道理可循 mò míng qí miào，wú dào lǐ kě xún |
| | | SCSimplified Chinese 没理由的 |
| | Your belief that Daisy doesn't like you is without rhyme or reason; she's never done anything to make you think that. |