評論
打印
Good morning , my buddies. I'm so glad to meet you via network. I'm hoping that we could spend a wonderful morning together.大家好，我是Juliet, 很高興又和大家在空中見面了。希望能和您在此度過一個美好的清晨。
【直擊主題】
This morning I'd like to talk about an idiom which can express little possibility of doing something. What's it ? Let's listen to a simple situation dialogue.
A : Do you thing you can get the project?
B : It's a chance in a million. I hear John is interested in it.
A : I see. After all , John is the boss's son.
B : But, anyway, I will have a try .
【答疑解惑】
Okay, guys , have you spotted it? It is " A CHANCE IN A MILLION". "A chance in a million" 直譯就是“一百萬中的一次機會”，wow , a million一百萬，才得到a chance, it's really hard to get it and it's really takes time. So the Chinese for it are : 很小的機會，微乎其微的機會，一絲機會，一種粗俗的說法還可以說成是：狗屎運。
【咬文嚼字】
What's more, a chance in a million is an phrase belonging to a noun form. And in a million is preposition phrase which modifies "chance". As we know, 既然是介詞短語修飾限定了前面的名詞，some people maybe think that " a" should be changed to " the". Nope, do don't think so for an idiom is a set expression from people's life , which can't be judged if it's right or wrong in grammar rules sometimes. This is just what I want to emphasize. 這正是我要強調的一點，a chance in a million 中的 in a million 是介詞短語，作后置定語，修飾前面的 chance, 照常理來說，就然有了修飾與限制，那么就應該定冠詞 the， 而不是不定冠詞 a. 但是我們要知道習語使人們在生活中的口頭語言，很多是無法用語法規則去言論他的對錯的。So it's fine that we just keep it in our mind by rote : a change in a million.
【學以致用】
How should we use it? Since it's a phrase of a noun form, verbs can be put in front of it as object . For example: HVE A CHANCE IN A MILLION which equals to have almost no chance or GIVE A CHANCE IN A MILLION. 意思是有個微乎其微的機會，給予很小的機會。Let's look at example sentences. We haven't a chance in a million of winning. 我們勝利的機會微乎其微。Political experts gave him little chance of winning the nomination, because most Democrats didn't know him. 政治家說他贏得提名的機會很小，因為大部分的民主黨人士不認識他。 Since it is a phrase of a noun form, it can be used as predicative. For example : It's a million of chance.這是個千載難逢的機會。
【拓展視野】
Of course we have many ways to take place of " a chance in a million " . Let's have a summary.
1 a poor chance
For example: A chance of getting the job were por, so the young man felt gloomy about the future. 得到這份工作的機會很小, 所以這位青年人感到前途渺茫。
2 a slim chance
For example: Her chance of success is slim. 她成功的機會很小。
3 little chance ( 備注： 這個短語前面不要加 a .)
For example: On the face of things, Ms Menchú has little chance of winning. 從許多方面看，門楚夫人獲勝的機會都很小。
4 little possibility
For example: There's little posibility of being the case or coming about. 還是有很小的機會存在或發生的。
5 The odds against somebody.
For example: The odds are against us. 我們成功的機會很小。
