Phrase
by chance
adverb
偶然；意外地
without advance planning; by accident; through chance
- 1.
without advance planning
没有事先计划；偶然地
- 2.
by accident
碰巧；偶然地
- 3.
through chance,
通过偶然；碰巧
没有事先计划；偶然地；碰巧；偶然地；通过偶然；碰巧；偶然；也许
In use
I met my old friend by chance at the supermarket.
She discovered the lost ring by chance while cleaning the attic.
He got the job by chance after sending a random application.
somebody + verb + by chance
by chance在动词后表示“偶然地”。
I met him by chance.
我偶然遇见了他。
By chance, somebody + verb
置于句首起强调作用。
By chance, I found the key.
碰巧，我找到了钥匙。
Do you by chance + verb?
用于疑问句表示“也许”。
Do you by chance have a spare pen?
Connections
Confusing words
- by accident
- 偶然地，意外地 · ‘by accident’ 强调非故意的负面结果，而 ‘by chance’ 侧重纯粹的偶然性，可能中性或正面
- accidentally
- 偶然地，意外地 · ‘accidentally’ 是副词，与 ‘by chance’ 意思相近，但更常用在正式语体中
Learner notes
Grammar Note
常用于句首或句末，表示偶然发生或可能性
Dictionary facts from ECDICT.