英语短语 "out of line" 有字面义和比喻义两种常见用法,核心是“偏离正常/规则的状态”,以下是详细解析:
指物理上“没站在队伍里”“排歪了”,多用于描述排队、队形等场景。
例:The kids kept getting out of line at the zoo, so the teacher had to corral them.
孩子们在动物园总排歪队,老师只好把他们拢回来。
Please don’t step out of line—wait your turn to board the bus.
别出队,等轮到你再上公交。
形容行为、言论或事物偏离了社会规范、规则或他人的容忍底线,带有“不合适、冒犯、过分”的意味。
核心逻辑:打破了“隐形的线”(规则、礼仪、共识)。常与系动词(be/get/step)搭配,强调“冒犯或违反礼仪”。
例:His joke about her weight was totally out of line—she looked really hurt.
他拿她体重开玩笑太过分了——她显然很受伤。
I think you’re out of line for yelling at the waiter over a small mistake.
你因为一点小错就冲服务员大喊,我觉得你不对。
If you step out of line again, you’ll be suspended from the team.
再犯一次规,你就会被队里停赛。
用“out of line with sth”表示“与…不一致/不符合”,强调违背客观规则、政策或预期。
例:Your request for a 50% raise is out of line with the company’s salary policy.
你要求涨薪50%,不符合公司的薪资政策。
The price of this shirt is way out of line with the quality—It’s not worth $100.
这件衬衫的价格和质量完全不符——根本不值100美元。
The project’s timeline is out of line with our original plan; we need to adjust.
项目的时间线和我们最初的计划不符,得调整。
Inappropriate:更正式,强调“不合适”(如场合、身份不符);
Unacceptable:强调“不可接受”(程度更重);
Over the line:与“out of line”几乎同义,更口语化(“太过分了”);
Not in keeping with:更书面,强调“与…不协调”(如风格、规则)。
字面:没排队/排歪;
比喻:行为不当(冒犯)、不符合规则(政策/标准);
关键搭配:be/get/step out of line;out of line with sth。
通过具体语境判断即可,日常对话中比喻义更常用~