while
conjunction /waɪl/
/waɪl/
(also formal whilst especially in British English)
Idioms - during the time that something is happening; at the same time as something else is happening
在…期间；当…的时候 - We must have been burgled while we were asleep.
我们肯定是在睡着时遭遇了入室盗窃。 - Her parents died while she was still at school.
她还在读书时父母就去世了。 - While I was waiting at the bus stop, three buses went by in the opposite direction.
我在公共汽车站等车时，路对面驶过了三辆公共汽车。 - You can go swimming while I'm having lunch.
我吃午饭时你可以去游泳。 - shoes mended while you wait
在你等候的时候修好的鞋
- We must have been burgled while we were asleep.
- used to contrast two things
（对比两件事物）…而，…然而 - While Tom's very good at science, his brother is absolutely hopeless.
汤姆很擅长理科，而他的弟弟绝对是不可救药。 - Some people work better to music while others do not.
有些人对音乐更感兴趣，而有些人则不然。
Language Bank contrastcontrastHighlighting differencesTopics Opinion and argumentb1突出差异／不同 - This survey highlights a number of differences in the way that teenage boys and girls in the UK spend their free time.
这项民意测验凸显出英国十几岁的男孩和女孩在打发闲暇时间上的诸多不同。
- This survey highlights a number of differences in the way that teenage boys and girls in the UK spend their free time.
- One of the main differences between the girls and the boys who took part in the research was the way in which they use the internet.
参与了这项研究的女生和男生之间的主要差异之一在于他们使用互联网的方式。
- One of the main differences between the girls and the boys who took part in the research was the way in which they use the internet.
- Unlike the girls, who use the internet mainly to keep in touch with friends, the boys questioned in this survey tend to use the internet for playing computer games.
女生使用互联网主要是和朋友联系，这一点和男生不同，参与调查的男生往往是使用互联网来玩电脑游戏。
- Unlike the girls, who use the internet mainly to keep in touch with friends, the boys questioned in this survey tend to use the internet for playing computer games.
- The girls differ from the boys in that they tend to spend more time keeping in touch with friends on the phone or on social networking websites.
女孩和男孩的不同之处在于，她们倾向于花更多的时间通过电话或社交网站与朋友保持联系。
- The girls differ from the boys in that they tend to spend more time keeping in touch with friends on the phone or on social networking websites.
- Compared to the boys, the girls spend much more time chatting to friends on the phone.
与男孩相比，女孩花更多的时间在电话上和朋友聊天。
- Compared to the boys, the girls spend much more time chatting to friends on the phone.
- On average the girls spend four hours a week chatting to friends on the phone. In contrast, very few of the boys spend more than five minutes a day talking to their friends in this way.
女生平均每周花四个小时与朋友电话聊天。相比之下，很少有男生每天以这种方式与朋友聊天五分钟以上。
- On average the girls spend four hours a week chatting to friends on the phone. In contrast, very few of the boys spend more than five minutes a day talking to their friends in this way.
- The boys prefer competitive sports and computer games, whereas/while the girls seem to enjoy more cooperative activities, such as shopping with friends.
男生更喜欢竞技性体育运动和电脑游戏，而女生似乎更喜欢合作性活动，比如与朋友一起购物。
- The boys prefer competitive sports and computer games, whereas/while the girls seem to enjoy more cooperative activities, such as shopping with friends.
- When the girls go shopping, they mainly buy clothes and cosmetics. The boys, on the other hand, tend to purchase computer games or gadgets.
女生购物时主要买衣服和化妆品，而男生往往会买电脑游戏或小器具。
- When the girls go shopping, they mainly buy clothes and cosmetics. The boys, on the other hand, tend to purchase computer games or gadgets.
- While Tom's very good at science, his brother is absolutely hopeless.
- (used at the beginning of a sentence
用于句首 虽然；尽管 - While I am willing to help, I do not have much time available.
尽管我愿意帮忙，但是没有多少时间。
Language Bank neverthelessneverthelessConceding a point and making a counterargumentTopics Opinion and argumentb2承认一个观点的正确性，并提出一个对立的观点 - While the film is undoubtedly too long, it is nevertheless an intriguing piece of cinema.
虽然这部电影的确太长了，但它不失为一部有趣的影片。
- While the film is undoubtedly too long, it is nevertheless an intriguing piece of cinema.
- It can be argued that the movie is too long. It is nonetheless an intriguing piece of cinema.
可以认为这部电影太长了，但它不失为一部有趣的影片。
- It can be argued that the movie is too long. It is nonetheless an intriguing piece of cinema.
- The film is undoubtedly too long. Still, it is an intriguing piece of cinema.
这部电影的确太长了，但它仍不失为一部有趣的影片。
- The film is undoubtedly too long. Still, it is an intriguing piece of cinema.
- Of course, huge chunks of the book have been sacrificed in order to make a two-hour movie, but it is nevertheless a successful piece of storytelling.
当然，为了制作一部两小时的电影，该书中的大部分内容都被舍弃了，不过它仍不失为一部成功的故事片。
- Of course, huge chunks of the book have been sacrificed in order to make a two-hour movie, but it is nevertheless a successful piece of storytelling.
- Critics are wrong to argue that the film’s plot is too complicated. Certainly there are a couple of major twists, but audiences will have no difficulty following them.
批评家认为这部电影的情节过于复杂，这种观点是不恰当的。影片中确实有几次大的情节变化，但观众还是不难看懂的。
- Critics are wrong to argue that the film’s plot is too complicated. Certainly there are a couple of major twists, but audiences will have no difficulty following them.
- It is true that you cannot make a good movie without a good script, but it is equally true that a talented director can make a good script into an excellent film.
的确，没有好的剧本不可能拍出好的电影，但有天赋的导演能将较好的剧本制作成非常好的电影，这一点也是没有疑问的。
- It is true that you cannot make a good movie without a good script, but it is equally true that a talented director can make a good script into an excellent film.
- It remains to be seen whether these two movies herald a new era of westerns, but there is no doubt that they represent welcome additions to the genre.
这两部电影是否预示着西部片新时代的来临还有待观察。但是毫无疑问，它们作为这一电影类型的新作而受到欢迎。
- It remains to be seen whether these two movies herald a new era of westerns, but there is no doubt that they represent welcome additions to the genre.
- While I am willing to help, I do not have much time available.
词源Old English hwīl ‘period of time’, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch wijl, German Weile; the conjunction is an abbreviation of Old English thā hwīle the ‘the while that’.
Idioms
while you’re/I’m etc. at it
- used to suggest that somebody could do something while they are doing something else
趁做某事的时候；顺便；顺带 - ‘I'm just going to buy some postcards.’ ‘Can you get me some stamps while you're at it?’
“我正想去买明信片。” “你能顺便给我买些邮票吗？”
- ‘I'm just going to buy some postcards.’ ‘Can you get me some stamps while you're at it?’