but
but — 連接詞
1. a joining word that introduces a second idea which the listener would not expect
但是；不過
連接兩個對比想法的連接詞
a joining word that introduces a second idea which the listener would not expect after the first — often a contrasting fact, a small exception, or a polite apology before bad news.
Marcus loves swimming, but he is afraid of deep water.
Marcus 喜歡游泳，但是很怕深水。
links two contrasting facts about the same person
The cake looked beautiful, but it tasted a bit too sweet.
這個蛋糕看起來很漂亮，不過嚐起來有點太甜。
joins a positive observation with a negative one
I knocked on Lina's door for almost a minute, but nobody answered.
我敲了 Lina 家的門將近一分鐘，但是都沒有人應門。
Sorry to bother you, Mr. Tanaka, but could I borrow your blue pen for the form?
Tanaka 先生，不好意思打擾你，不過我可以借你的藍筆填一下表格嗎？
softening opener before a polite request
It was raining hard, but the children still wanted to play in the garden.
雨下得很大，但是孩子們還是想到院子裡玩。
- yes, but…
- sorry, but…
- not… but…
文法句型
clause + but + clause
用法筆記
Often opens a sentence in speech and informal writing ("But why not?"). When it joins two full clauses, a comma usually goes before "but". Distinguish from preposition sense (preposition/1) which means "except" and is followed by a noun, not a clause.
常見錯誤
but for
idiomThis phrase means 'if it were not for' and introduces the only thing that prevented something from happening.
要不是
But for the rain, we would have gone to the beach.
The room was empty but for a single chair.
but then (again)
idiomThis phrase introduces a contrasting idea or shows that something is not surprising given a certain fact.
不過話說回來
She might be late, but then again she might not come at all.
He speaks French well, but then he lived in Paris for years.
This phrase means that there is no other possible action or choice except the one mentioned.
不得不
I could not but admire his courage in the face of danger.
What could she do but accept the job offer?
but — 介系詞
1. used to mark the one person, thing, or place left out of a wider group — close i
除了
把後面提到的人事物排除在外
used to mark the one person, thing, or place left out of a wider group — close in meaning to "apart from" or "other than", and almost always paired with words like "everyone", "nothing", or "every".
Everyone but Carlos came to the wedding rehearsal on Friday.
除了 Carlos 之外，大家都來參加星期五的婚禮彩排。
everyone but + person — Carlos is the only one missing
The little girl ate nothing but rice and pickles for three days.
那個小女孩有三天除了米飯和醃菜以外什麼都沒吃。
nothing but + noun — emphasizes the only thing eaten
Every shop on Maple Street but the corner bakery was closed last Sunday morning.
上星期天早上，Maple 街上除了轉角那家麵包店之外，所有店家都關門了。
Maya could remember every detail of the robbery but the tall man's name.
Maya 對那場搶案的每個細節都記得，就是想不起那個高個子男人的名字。
anything/everything but + noun — singles out the only gap
Our family has tried every restaurant in town but the new Thai place near the park.
鎮上的餐廳，除了公園附近那家新開的泰式料理之外，我們一家人都吃過了。
- everyone but
- nothing but
- anything but
- no one but
- nowhere but
- except
the most neutral exact equivalent
- apart from
common in British English; slightly more formal feel
- other than
often used after negatives or questions
- including
adds the named item rather than leaving it out
文法句型
everyone/anything/nothing + but + noun
用法筆記
Almost always follows a word like "everyone", "anything", "nothing", "no one", "nowhere", or "every + noun". Distinguish from conjunction sense (conjunction/1): here "but" is followed by a noun phrase, not a clause, and shows exception, not contrast.
常見錯誤
but — 名詞
1. an excuse, objection, or hesitation that someone offers when told to do somethin
異議；推託
用來推開的反對或藉口
an excuse, objection, or hesitation that someone offers when told to do something — the word almost always appears in the plural inside fixed phrases like "no buts", which a parent, teacher, or boss uses to refuse all such excuses.
No buts, Tommy — finish your vegetables before you leave the table.
Tommy，不要找藉口，把蔬菜吃完才能離開餐桌。
no buts — refusing to listen to excuses
I want the report on my desk by Friday, and I will hear no buts about it.
我要這份報告星期五前放到我桌上，不准有任何推託。
The coach told the players there would be no ifs, ands, or buts about the new training schedule.
教練告訴球員們，新的訓練表沒有任何商量的餘地。
fixed phrase: no ifs, ands, or buts
Dad cut off Sammy's ifs and buts about bedtime and marched him straight upstairs to brush his teeth.
爸爸不聽 Sammy 對睡覺時間的各種推託和藉口，直接把他帶上樓去刷牙。
ifs and buts — a child's stalling excuses being dismissed
- no buts
- no ifs and buts
- no ifs, ands, or buts
- ifs and buts
- agreement
accepting without raising objections
文法句型
no buts
ifs and buts
用法筆記
Almost always plural and inside fixed phrases such as "no buts", "no ifs and buts", or "no ifs, ands, or buts". A bare singular "a but" is very rare. Most natural in spoken commands from parents, teachers, coaches, or bosses.
常見錯誤
but — 副詞
1. placed between a word like "any", "anyone", or "anything" and a repeat of the sa
毫無例外
用 X but X 重複句式強調絕無例外
placed between a word like "any", "anyone", or "anything" and a repeat of the same word, to stress that absolutely no exception is being allowed.
Any student but any student caught cheating will fail the exam.
任何學生，毫無例外，只要被抓到作弊就會被當掉這次考試。
any + but + any — stresses no exception at all
Anyone but anyone in the village would have helped Grandma carry the heavy basket home.
村裡無論是誰，都會願意幫奶奶把那個沉重的籃子提回家。
anyone + but + anyone — emphatic "absolutely anyone"
Anything but anything — a falling leaf, a passing cat — could set off the old guard dog at the farm gate.
農場大門那隻老看門狗，任何東西，無論是落葉還是路過的貓，都可能讓牠暴衝起來。
anything + but + anything — emphatic "absolutely anything"
Mention the missing money to anyone but anyone in the office, and our quiet plan will fall apart.
把錢不見的事告訴辦公室裡任何一個人，無論是誰，我們安靜的計畫就會泡湯。
- any but any
- anyone but anyone
- anything but anything
- absolutely
common everyday emphasizer; no repetition needed
- literally
informal stress word; not the same fixed pattern
文法句型
any/anyone/anything + but + repeated word
用法筆記
Frequently formal, rhetorical, or written; rare in everyday speech, where a repeated word with stress ("ANYONE") does the same job. The structure must repeat the same indefinite word on both sides of "but".
常見錯誤
2. no more than the small amount, number, or thing that follows; close in meaning t
只；僅僅
正式語體中表「只有」的副詞
no more than the small amount, number, or thing that follows; close in meaning to "only" or "just", and used to make the size or extent sound small.
The injured climber was but a few steps from safety when she slipped on the icy ledge.
受傷的登山者離安全的地方僅有幾步之遙時，在結冰的岩架上滑了一下。
but + number phrase — stresses how small the distance was
Sarah was but a child when her family moved from Taipei to Vancouver.
Sarah 跟著家人從台北搬到溫哥華時，還只是個小孩子。
but + a + noun — stresses youth or smallness
We have but ten minutes left before the last train leaves the station.
離末班火車離站，我們僅剩十分鐘了。
The village library holds but a handful of old maps, yet scholars travel hundreds of miles to study them.
這座村裡的小圖書館只收藏了寥寥幾張古地圖，學者們卻不惜遠行數百英里前來研究。
but a handful of + plural noun — stresses how few there are
- but a child
- but a few
- but a moment
- but a handful
- many
stresses a large rather than small amount
文法句型
but + number/noun phrase
用法筆記
Formal or literary; common in older texts, news headlines, and elevated prose. In everyday English, prefer "only" or "just". Distinguish from adverb/1: this sense is not part of an emphatic "X but X" repetition; it stands alone before a number or short noun phrase.
常見錯誤
常見搭配
常用片語
- yes, but…
- sorry, but…
- no buts
- ifs and buts
- no ifs, ands, or buts
- anything but
- nothing but
- everyone but
- last but not least
- but then again
介系詞搭配
- but for
- all but