cheap
cheap — 形容詞
1. not costing very much, especially when compared with the usual price for similar
便宜
價格低的；花費少的
not costing very much, especially when compared with the usual price for similar items
Aiko bought a cheap bicycle from her neighbor for just thirty dollars.
Aiko 用三十美元向鄰居買了一輛便宜的腳踏車。
collocation: cheap + concrete noun (bicycle, ticket, meal)
The food at that market stall is fresh and very cheap.
那個市場攤位的食物很新鮮又非常便宜。
coordinates adjectives after be: fresh and cheap
Diego found a cheap hotel room near the beach for the weekend.
Diego 在海邊附近找到一間便宜的旅館房間度過週末。
This winter coat was so cheap that Leila bought two of them.
這件冬天外套實在太便宜了，Leila 買了兩件。
so + cheap + that-clause for result
Cheap bus tickets are available if you book your trip early.
如果你早點訂票，可以買到便宜的巴士車票。
passive: cheap + noun + are available
- cheap flight
- cheap meal
- cheap hotel
- cheap ticket
- cheap price
- inexpensive
more neutral and formal; does not imply low quality
- affordable
focuses on being within someone's budget, not on low price itself
- budget
used before nouns; suggests a deliberate choice to spend less
- low-cost
used especially for services, travel, or housing; neutral tone
用法筆記
When talking about expensive items like cars or houses, use affordable or reasonably priced instead of cheap, which can suggest poor quality.
常見錯誤
2. charging prices that are low, used to describe a shop, restaurant, hotel, or sim
收費低
店鋪或餐廳收費便宜的
charging prices that are low, used to describe a shop, restaurant, hotel, or similar place
The cafeteria near the office is cheap and always busy at lunchtime.
辦公室附近的自助餐廳收費很低，午餐時間總是很忙。
place as subject: be + cheap
Yara stays at a cheap hostel whenever she travels around Europe.
Yara 在歐洲旅行時總是住在便宜的背包客旅館。
This restaurant is cheap enough for students on a small budget.
這間餐廳的價格對預算不多的學生來說已經夠低了。
adjective + enough + for + person/group
Hiro looked for a cheap barber shop that did a good haircut.
Hiro 找了一間收費便宜而且剪得不錯的理髮店。
look for + cheap + venue + relative clause
- cheap restaurant
- cheap hotel
- cheap shop
- cheap bar
- cheap store
- budget
often used before nouns like budget hotel or budget airline
- inexpensive
more neutral and less common for places
- low-priced
describes the items sold rather than the establishment itself
用法筆記
This sense applies only to places where you pay for goods or services. It describes the business itself, not the individual items it sells.
3. made with such poor materials or workmanship that it barely works, yet costs ver
劣質
價格低且品質差的
made with such poor materials or workmanship that it barely works, yet costs very little to buy
The toy broke within an hour because it was made of cheap plastic.
那個玩具在一小時內就壞了，因為它是用廉價塑膠做的。
collocation: cheap + material (plastic, fabric, metal)
Nadia bought a cheap watch from a street seller, and it stopped after two days.
Nadia 向路邊小販買了一支便宜手錶，兩天後就不動了。
narrative: cheap + product + consequence
Cheap shoes may hurt your feet because the materials are not strong enough.
廉價的鞋子可能會傷腳，因為材料不夠結實。
subject: cheap + plural noun + modal (may)
Rohan refused to use cheap tools after his hammer broke on the first day.
Rohan 的鐵鎚在第一天就斷了，從此他拒絕使用劣質工具。
- cheap material
- cheap goods
- cheap quality
- cheap imitation
- cheap product
- shoddy
informal; made or done badly
- poor-quality
direct and clear; less informal
- flimsy
weak and easily broken, especially of materials
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1 (LOW PRICE): cheap in this sense always implies poor workmanship or materials, not just a low price. The item is not considered a good value.
常見錯誤
4. not willing to spend money on other people, even when you have enough
小氣
不願花錢在別人身上的
not willing to spend money on other people, even when you have enough
Tomás is so cheap that he never buys a drink for his friends.
Tomás 小氣到從來不買飲料請朋友喝。
so + cheap + that-clause (informal, disapproving)
The company was cheap and refused to pay for the staff Christmas party.
那家公司很小氣，拒絕支付員工聖誕派對的費用。
organization as subject: cheap about spending
My landlord is too cheap to fix the broken heater in the apartment.
我的房東太小氣了，不肯花錢修理公寓裡壞掉的暖氣。
too + cheap + to-infinitive
Quinn was embarrassed when her date was too cheap to tip the waiter.
Quinn 很難堪，因為她的約會對象小氣到不給服務生小費。
- cheap boss
- cheap landlord
- too cheap to
- so cheap that
- generous
willing to give money or help freely
- open-handed
informal; generous with money
用法筆記
This sense is always disapproving. It is more informal than stingy or miserly but carries the same negative judgment about someone's unwillingness to share money.
5. slightly cruel and unpleasant, used especially about a remark or joke that is ea
刻薄
言語或玩笑傷人的
slightly cruel and unpleasant, used especially about a remark or joke that is easy to make but hurtful to the person it targets
Greta made a cheap joke about her colleague's new haircut in front of everyone.
Greta 當著大家的面，拿同事的新髮型開了個刻薄的玩笑。
collocation: cheap joke / cheap remark
The comedian's cheap comments about the audience member felt mean.
那個喜劇演員對觀眾說的刻薄話讓人覺得很不友善。
Kofi regretted his cheap shot at his sister — easy to say but it hurt her.
Kofi 很後悔對妹妹說了那句刻薄話——說出來很容易，但傷了她的心。
collocation: cheap shot (idiom for a cruel remark)
The reporter's cheap question about the mayor's divorce embarrassed everyone in the room.
那位記者針對市長離婚提出的刻薄問題，讓在場所有人都很尷尬。
- cheap joke
- cheap shot
- cheap remark
- cheap laugh
- cheap comment
用法筆記
The most common fixed expression with this sense is a cheap shot — a comment that unfairly attacks someone's weakness. Also used in cheap joke, cheap remark, and cheap laugh.
6. of a person's clothing or appearance clearly intended to attract sexual attentio
庸俗
穿著刻意賣弄性感而顯得低俗的
of a person's clothing or appearance clearly intended to attract sexual attention, in a way that some people consider lacking good taste
Wen thought the actress looked cheap in that very short red dress.
Wen 覺得那位女演員穿那條極短的紅色洋裝看起來很庸俗。
pattern: look + cheap (about appearance)
Esme's mother told her the shiny gold top looked cheap for an interview.
Esme 的媽媽告訴她，那件閃亮的金色上衣穿去面試看起來太俗豔了。
register: informal, disapproving of clothing choice
Some people thought her outfit looked cheap, but she did not care about their opinions.
有些人覺得她的打扮很庸俗，但她並不在乎他們的看法。
The magazine criticized the singer's cheap stage costume as trying too hard to impress.
那本雜誌批評這位歌手的舞臺服裝太過廉價賣弄，像是在刻意吸引目光。
collocation: cheap + costume / outfit / dress
- look cheap
- feel cheap
- cheap clothes
- cheap outfit
- cheap look
用法筆記
This sense is old-fashioned and considered offensive by many people. It judges someone's character based on their clothing. Use with caution or avoid in neutral contexts.
dirt cheap
idiomextremely low in price; costing almost nothing
極便宜的；便宜到像 dirt 一樣不值錢
These old books were dirt cheap at the library sale — only fifty cents each.
Renting an apartment in that area used to be dirt cheap before the new train station opened.
cheap and cheerful
idiomsimple, inexpensive, and satisfactory in quality; good value for a low price
物美價廉的；簡潔實惠的
The cafe serves cheap and cheerful meals that taste like home cooking.
We bought cheap and cheerful furniture for the guest room since nobody stays long.
on the cheap
idiomspending as little money as possible, often resulting in poor quality or inconvenience
儘量省錢地；精打細算地（常指結果品質不佳）
They renovated their kitchen on the cheap, and the sink started leaking after a month.
Travelling on the cheap sounds fun but you may end up sleeping in noisy dorms.
cheap at the price
idiomworth more than the amount you paid for it; an excellent bargain despite the cost
物超所值的；價錢實惠得划算
The car needed some repairs, but at three thousand dollars it was cheap at the price.
A good dictionary costs a bit more, but it is cheap at the price for what you learn.
life is cheap
idiomThis phrase describes a situation where people's lives are not valued and harm to them is considered unimportant.
人命不值錢
In that war-torn region, life is cheap and violence is common.
Maya felt that life was cheap in the factory where safety rules were ignored.
cheap — 副詞
1. for a low price; without spending very much money
低價地
以低價或很少的花費
for a low price; without spending very much money
Beatriz bought the painting cheap at a small gallery in Lisbon.
Beatriz 在里斯本一家小畫廊低價買下了那幅畫。
verb + cheap (bought cheap, got cheap)
To eat cheap in Tokyo, try the noodle shops near the train stations.
如果你想在東京吃得便宜，試試車站附近的拉麵店。
pattern: verb + cheap in [location]
The agent said we could fly cheap by booking three months early.
旅行社說如果我們提前三個月訂票，就能以低價搭飛機。
Zane managed to furnish his new apartment cheap by visiting second-hand shops.
Zane 靠逛二手商店，用很低的價格就把新公寓布置好了。
pattern: verb + cheap + by + gerund phrase
- buy cheap
- get cheap
- fly cheap
- eat cheap
- travel cheap
- cheaply
more formal; works in any register
用法筆記
This adverb form is informal. In more formal writing, use cheaply (e.g., 'We ate cheaply at the market'). The adverb cheap cannot be used before verbs — only after them.
常見錯誤
同根字
- cheaply副詞B1
- cheapness名詞C1
- cheapen動詞C1
- dirt-cheap形容詞B2
常見搭配
副詞搭配
- very
- quite
- relatively
- comparatively
- incredibly
- surprisingly
常用片語
- dirt cheap
- cheap as chips
- cheap and cheerful
- on the cheap