表示“为了安全起见;以防万一”,用于说明为避免潜在风险或不确定性而采取额外的谨慎行动。
该短语通常作为目的状语,放在句中(动词后)或句末,强调“通过某行为规避风险”。以下是常见场景的例子:
I'll take an umbrella to be on the safe side— the forecast said there might be showers later.
(我带把伞以防万一——预报说晚些时候可能有阵雨。)
We should leave 10 minutes early to be on the safe side—traffic is always bad at rush hour.
(我们应该提前10分钟出发,以防万一——高峰时段交通总是很堵。)
The dentist told me to rinse my mouth with salt water for another day to be on the safe side.
(牙医让我再用盐水漱口一天,为了安全起见。)
Even if you feel better, finish the antibiotics to be on the safe side—don’t stop early.
(即使你感觉好多了,也要吃完抗生素以防万一——别提前停药。)
I always save a backup of my work to be on the safe side—computers can crash unexpectedly.
(我总是备份工作文件以防万一——电脑可能突然崩溃。)
Let’s double-check the numbers to be on the safe side—we can’t afford a mistake in the report.
(我们再核对一遍数字以防万一——报告里不能出错。)
I’ll bring a jacket to the party to be on the safe side—the restaurant might be cold.
(我带件夹克去派对以防万一——餐厅可能很冷。)
通常与表示“采取行动”的动词搭配(如take, leave, do, bring, save, check等),作目的状语;
可替换为更正式的to err on the side of caution(宁慎勿躁),或口语化的just in case(以防万一),但"to be on the safe side"更强调“主动确保安全”。
总结:这个短语是日常口语中高频使用的“谨慎表达”,核心是通过额外行动消除不确定性,让自己更安心~