1. to travel on water in a boat or ship
航行，乘船航行
We sailed across the bay in a small boat.
我們乘一艘小船航行穿越了海灣。
The ship will sail to Japan next week.
這艘船將於下週航行前往日本。
Sail Meaning（定義、用法、例句與發音）
sail
verb
快速理解
What does "Sail" mean?What are 2-3 core uses of "Sail"?
「sail」主要指船隻藉由風帆航行，也可引申為搭乘船隻或平穩移動。
- 1
航行
EN: to travel on water using sails or wind power
翻譯: （船隻）藉由風帆或風力在水上行進
- 2
駕駛（帆船）
EN: to control or steer a boat with sails
翻譯: 操控或駕駛一艘帆船
- 3
乘船旅行
EN: to travel by boat or ship
翻譯: 搭乘船隻旅行
- 4
平穩移動
EN: to move smoothly and confidently
翻譯: 平穩而自信地移動
小提醒：注意「sail」與「sale」（銷售）發音相同，但意思完全不同，書寫時別混淆。
發音（How to Pronounce "Sail" in English）
How to pronounce "Sail" in English?"Sail" US vs UK pronunciation
點擊下方的 US / UK 按鈕可播放發音。
Real-life Examples of "Sail" from YouTube Videos
Diane Greene's Advice for Founders
Y Combinator
“and to sail successfully, uh, you need to observe with great care.”
(1 out of 9)
Definitions（定義）
What are the definitions of "Sail"?How does "Sail" change by context?
2. to begin a journey on water
啟航，開船
The ferry sails at 9 AM every morning.
渡輪每天早上九點啟航。
When does your cruise ship sail?
你的郵輪什麼時候開船？
3. to control or steer a sailing boat
駕駛（帆船）
He learned to sail when he was ten years old.
他十歲時學會了駕駛帆船。
Can you sail this boat back to the harbor?
你能把這艘船開回港口嗎？
4. to move smoothly and confidently
輕快地移動；飄然行進
She sailed into the room, full of confidence.
她充滿自信地飄然走進房間。
The ball sailed over the fence for a home run.
球輕快地飛越圍欄，形成一支全壘打。
5. to succeed easily, especially in a test or competition
輕易通過；順利成功
She sailed through her final exams with top grades.
她以優異的成績輕鬆通過了期末考試。
The team sailed into the finals without losing a game.
這支隊伍一場未輸，順利晉級決賽。
Grammar & Patterns（句型）
What are common sentence patterns for "Sail"?How to make natural sentences with "Sail"?
| Pattern | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| sail + preposition (to/from/around) | 航行（至/從/環繞某地） | They plan to sail to Japan next month. (他們計劃下個月航行至日本。) |
| sail + noun (sea/ocean) | 在（某海域）航行 | The ship sails the Pacific Ocean regularly. (這艘船定期在太平洋航行。) |
| sail + adverb (smoothly/away) | （順利地/駛離）航行 | The yacht sailed smoothly into the harbor. (遊艇平穩地駛入港口。) |
| sail through + noun (exam/trouble) | 輕鬆通過（考試/困難） | She sailed through the final exam with ease. (她輕鬆通過了期末考。) |
| set sail (for + place) | 啟航（前往某地） | The expedition will set sail for Antarctica in June. (探險隊將於六月啟航前往南極洲。) |
用法說明
How is "Sail" different from similar structures?What usage mistakes are common with "Sail"?
sail doing vs sail to do
- sail + V-ing 通常描述「航行」這個活動本身，或泛指一種習慣、愛好。
- sail to + V 則常指為了某個特定目的或前往某個地點而航行。
- 在表達未來計畫或意圖時，sail to + V 更為常見。
- 在表達喜好或習慣時，兩者有時可互換，但 sail + V-ing 更強調活動的持續性。 EN: We enjoy sailing exploring new coastlines. 翻譯: 我們很享受航行探索新海岸線的過程。
EN:We will sail to explore the remote island next month.
翻譯:我們下個月將航行去探索那座偏遠島嶼。
EN:He loves sailing fishing in the deep sea.
翻譯:他熱愛在深海航行釣魚。
EN:They sailed to rescue the stranded sailors.
翻譯:他們航行前去救援受困的水手。
總結建議
一般來說，描述航行活動本身或習慣用 sail + V-ing，而表達航行目的或特定計畫則用 sail to + V。
易混淆對比
What is the difference between "Sail" and similar words?How to choose "Sail" vs alternatives?
sail vs fly
「sail」專指船隻在水上航行，依賴風或引擎；「fly」則指在空中飛行，通常用於飛機、鳥類或昆蟲。
sail vs drive
「sail」指駕駛船隻在水上航行；「drive」指駕駛車輛在陸地上行駛。
sail vs navigate
「sail」強調船隻航行的動作本身；「navigate」強調規劃與控制航行路線，可用於各種交通工具。
口語用法
How is "Sail" used in spoken English?What is the spoken vs formal difference for "Sail"?
引述
在轉述他人話語或想法時，常用來表示「出發」或「啟程」的意象。 EN: He was like, "I'm gonna sail for Greece next week." 翻譯: 他就說：「我下週要啟航去希臘了。」
EN:She told me, "Let's sail at dawn."
翻譯:她告訴我：「我們黎明時分出發吧。」
語氣強調
用於加強語氣，表達決心或興奮感，常與「真的」、「就要」等詞連用。 EN: I am so ready to sail away from all this stress. 翻譯: 我真的準備好要揚帆遠離這一切壓力了。
EN:We're finally gonna sail tomorrow!
翻譯:我們明天終於要出海了！
停頓填充
在思考或組織語句時，作為暫時的停頓用詞，後面常接更具體的計畫或條件。 EN: So our plan is to... sail... maybe in the spring when it's warmer. 翻譯: 所以我們的計畫是…出海…可能等到春天暖和一點的時候。
EN:I think we could... sail... if the weather holds up.
翻譯:我想我們可以…出航…如果天氣保持穩定的話。
正式寫作注意：在正式書面語（如報告、論文）中，應避免使用上述口語化的引述或填充停頓結構，建議改用更精確、完整的句子來表達航行或啟程的動作。
常見短語
What common collocations use "Sail"?What fixed phrases with "Sail" should I remember?
sail through
verb + through
輕鬆通過，順利完成
sail into
verb + into
猛烈抨擊，嚴厲責罵
sail close to the wind
verb phrase
冒險行事，遊走於規則邊緣
sail against the wind
verb phrase
逆風航行；逆勢而為，面對困難
set sail
verb phrase
啟航，開船
sail into the sunset
verb phrase
（比喻）完美結束，幸福地離開
sail under false colors
verb phrase
冒充，偽裝身分
常見錯誤
What are common mistakes with "Sail"?Which "Sail" sentences look correct but are wrong?
×We will sail to Japan on next week.
✓We will sail to Japan next week.
使用時間副詞 "next week" 時，前面不需要加介系詞 "on"。"sail" 後面直接接時間副詞即可。
×He sailed the boat across the lake for two hours.
✓He sailed the boat across the lake in two hours.
使用 "for" 表示持續一段時間（花了兩小時在航行）。但這裡想表達的是「他花了兩小時橫渡湖泊」，強調完成動作所需的時間，應使用 "in"。若要表達持續航行兩小時，可以說 "He sailed for two hours."。
×I want to sail a ship.
✓I want to sail a boat. / I want to work on a ship.
"sail" 作為及物動詞時，通常搭配較小型的船隻，如 boat、yacht、dinghy。大型的船隻（ship）通常由船員團隊操作，個人較少說 "sail a ship"，除非是船長或強調操控。一般指搭乘大型船隻航行，會用 "sail on a ship" 或 "travel by ship"。
×The ship is sailing to the wind.
✓The ship is sailing against the wind. / The ship is sailing with the wind.
表達航行與風向的關係時，需使用明確的介系詞："against the wind"（逆風）、"with the wind"（順風）、"into the wind"（迎風）。不能只用 "to"。
×They sailed at the Pacific Ocean.
✓They sailed on the Pacific Ocean. / They sailed across the Pacific Ocean.
表示在海洋上航行，介系詞用 "on"。若強調橫越、穿越，則用 "across"。使用 "at" 是錯誤的。
×The ferry sails from Taipei at 9:00.
✓The ferry sails from Taipei at 9:00 a.m. / The ferry leaves Taipei at 9:00.
雖然 "sail" 可以表示船隻啟航，但在日常對話中，對於固定班次的渡輪，更常使用中性動詞 "leave" 或 "depart"。使用 "sail" 聽起來較為文學化或強調航行本身。此外，時間應明確標示上午（a.m.）或下午（p.m.）。
詞形變化
What are the word forms of "Sail"?What are tense/participle forms of "Sail"?
sails(3rd_singular)sailing(present_participle)sailed(past)sailed(past_participle)