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by ship
by ship 表示交通方式，名词前通常不加冠词。
We went to the island by ship.
我们乘船去了那个岛。
船；船舶
先理解核心含义，再看它在真实句子里的用法。
船；船舶
a water-borne vessel, generally larger than a boat, used for carrying passengers or freight
We went to the island by ship.
我们乘船去了那个岛。
水上船只,通常比小船大
A water-borne vessel generally larger than a boat.
运载乘客或货物的船舶
a vessel that carries passengers or freight
一种由空细胞被六个活细胞包围的静物
A particular still life consisting of an empty cell surrounded by six live cells.
用于盛放香料的器皿(原形似船体)
A dish or utensil (originally fashioned like the hull of a ship) used to hold incense.
The ship sailed across the ocean.
那艘船驶过了大洋。
They loaded the cargo onto the ship.
他们把货物装上了船。
The cruise ship has five restaurants.
这艘游轮上有五家餐厅。
by ship 表示交通方式，名词前通常不加冠词。
We went to the island by ship.
我们乘船去了那个岛。
on board 后接 a/the ship，也可用 on a ship，但 on board 更正式。
There are 500 passengers on board the ship.
船上有500名乘客。
现在分词短语 carrying sth 作后置定语，说明船只运载的内容。
A ship carrying crude oil sank in the storm.
一艘运载原油的船在暴风雨中沉没了。
Not this
We went to the island by a ship.
Use this
We went to the island by ship.
表示交通方式时，英语用“by + 名词”结构（如 by ship、by bus、by plane），名词前不加冠词。ship 虽然可数，但在 by ship 这个固定搭配中要用零冠词，所以应去掉 a。
Not this
There are many passengers in the ship.
Use this
There are many passengers on the ship.
乘坐或身处船、飞机、火车等交通工具时，英语用介词 on，而不用 in。中文的“在船上”容易直译为 in the ship，但正确搭配是 on the ship。
Focus on the distinctions below. Other candidates are kept compact until a reliable usage note is available.
货船
The cargo ship carried goods across the ocean.
这艘货船运载货物跨越大洋。
邮轮
They went on a cruise ship for their holiday.
他们假期乘坐邮轮旅行。
客轮
The passenger ship sailed from Shanghai to Japan.
这艘客轮从上海驶往日本。
商船
The merchant ship was attacked by pirates.
那艘商船遭到海盗袭击。
帆船
The old sailing ship has three masts.
那艘老帆船有三根桅杆。
在船上
The passengers were on board the ship when it left the port.
船离港时乘客们都在船上。
时来运转，发财之时
She's tired of being poor, but she keeps working hard until her ship comes in.
她厌倦了贫穷，但她继续努力工作，直到时来运转。
管理严格，纪律严明
The manager runs a tight ship, so everyone is always on time.
经理管理严格，所以每个人都准时。
跳槽；脱离组织，离弃
Several staff jumped ship after the merger was announced.
合并宣布后，几名员工跳槽离开了。
夜里相遇的船只，擦肩而过时彼此交谈。
Longfellow's line about ships that pass in the night is a metaphor for people who meet only briefly and never form a deep connection.
朗费罗关于夜航相遇船只的诗句，比喻仅短暂相遇而未曾深交的人。
船停在港口虽然安全，但这不是造船的目的。
This quote is often used to motivate people to leave their comfort zone, because a ship is meant to sail, not to stay safe in port.
这句话常用来激励人们走出舒适区，因为船是为了航行，而不是为了安全地停在港口。
Use ship naturally, then get feedback on meaning, tone, grammar, and phrasing.
Revisit a common error or keep this word in your review list.
看到 ship 中的 s，想到 sea（海）与 super（超级）：海上的超级大船，比 boat 更大。
语域：neutral 常见场景：日常对话、新闻报道、航运事务 “ship”作名词最常见、最核心的意思是“船；船舶”，在日常口语和书面语中都很自然，属于中性词。其他较专门的义项，如康威生命游戏中的“船形”、船形香器、雷诺曼牌第三张等，通常只在特定领域或专业语境中出现。
作为交通工具时常用 by ship，不加冠词。
Dictionary facts from ECDICT, WIKTIONARY.