- used for showing how or in what way something is done（表示方式）
- The house is heated by gas.这房子是煤气供暖的。
- May I pay by credit card?我能用信用卡付款吗？
- I will contact you by letter.我会给你写信联系的。
- to travel by boat/bus/car/plane乘船／公共汽车／轿车／飞机
- to travel by air/land/sea坐飞机；经陆路／海路
- Switch it on by pressing this button.按下这个开关启动它。
- near somebody/something; at the side of somebody/something; next to somebody/something靠近；在…旁边
- a house by the river河边的一所房子
- The telephone is by the window.电话在窗户旁边。
- Come and sit by me.过来挨着我坐。
- used, usually after a passive verb, to show who or what does, creates or causes something（常置于表示被动的动词后，表示施事者）
- He was knocked down by a bus.他被公共汽车撞倒了。
- a play by Ibsen易卜生写的剧本
- Who's that book by?谁是那本书的作者？
- I was frightened by the noise.我被那响声吓坏了。
Homophones buy | by | byebuy by bye - buy verb
- Some people buy all their groceries online.有些人在网上购买所有的杂货。
- by preposition
- I think he was motivated by his mother.我觉得他是受了他妈妈的激励。
- by adverb
- Don't let the opportunity pass you by.别让机会从你身边溜走。
- bye exclamation
- not later than the time mentioned; before不迟于；在…之前
- Can you finish the work by five o'clock?你五点钟前能完成工作吗？
- I'll have it done by tomorrow.我明天之前让人把它弄好。
- By this time next week we'll be in New York.下星期的这个时候我们将在纽约。
- He ought to have arrived by now/by this time.他现在应该已经到了。
- By the time (that) this letter reaches you I will have left the country.你收到这封信时，我已离开这个国家了。
- used before particular nouns without the, to say that something happens as a result of something（置于不带 the 的名词前，表示原因）由于
- They met by chance.他们不期而遇。
- I did it by mistake.我误做了这事。
- The coroner's verdict was ‘death by misadventure’.验尸官判定是 “意外致死”。
- used to show the degree or amount of something（表示程度、数量）
- The bullet missed him by two inches.子弹只差两英寸就击中他了。
- House prices went up by 10%.房价上涨了 10%。
- It would be better by far (= much better) to…那比…好得多。
- during something; in a particular situation在…期间；处于某种状况
- to travel by day/night白天／夜间旅行
- We had to work by candlelight.我们不得不借助烛光工作。
- from what something shows or says; according to something从…看；依；按照
- By my watch it is two o'clock.我的表是两点钟。
- I could tell by the look on her face that something terrible had happened.从她的脸色我可以看出，发生了可怕的事情。
- By law, you are a child until you are 18.按照法律规定，18 岁之前是未成年人。
- past somebody/something经过
- He walked by me without speaking.他一言不发地从我身边走过。
- used to show the part of somebody/something that somebody touches, holds, etc.（表示触及或抓住的人或物的部分）
- I took him by the hand.我拉着他的手。
- She seized her by the hair.她揪住她的头发。
- Pick it up by the handle!抓着手柄把它提起来！
- used with the to show the period or quantity used for buying, selling or measuring something（与 the 连用，表示时间或量度单位）
- We rented the car by the day.我们按日租用汽车。
- They're paid by the hour.他们的报酬是按小时计算的。
- We only sell it by the metre.我们只按米出售。
- used to state the rate at which something happens（表示速率）
- They're improving day by day.他们在一天天地改进。
- We'll do it bit by bit.我们会一点一点地做。
- It was getting worse by the minute (= very fast).情况急速恶化。
- The children came in two by two (= in groups of two).孩子们一对一对地走了进来。
- used to show the measurements of something（表示尺寸时用）
- The room measures fifteen feet by twenty feet.房间 15 英尺宽 20 英尺长。
- used when multiplying or dividing（用于乘除运算）
- 6 multiplied by 2 equals 12.6 乘以 2 等于 12。
- 6 divided by 2 equals 3.6 除以 2 等于 3。
- used for giving more information about where somebody comes from, what somebody does, etc.（补充有关出生地、职业等的信息）
- He's German by birth.他是德国血统的。
- They're both doctors by profession.他们两人的职业都是医生。
- used when swearing to mean ‘in the name of’（起誓时用）以…的名义
- I swear by Almighty God…我以全能上帝之名发誓…
Word OriginOld English bī, bi, be, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch bij and German bei.
Idioms by the by/bye (also by the way)
- (informal) used to introduce a comment or question that is not directly related to what you have been talking about顺便提一下；捎带说一声；附带问一句
