副词短语,表示"逐一地,一个接一个地",强调事物按顺序依次发生或进行,而非同时。
/wʌn baɪ wʌn/
The teacher called the students' names one by one.
老师逐一点了学生的名字。
As the sun set behind the mountains, the stars appeared one by one, until the entire sky was filled with a brilliant tapestry of light.
当太阳落到山后,星星一颗接一颗地出现,直到整个天空布满了璀璨的光幕。
这个短语由 one 重复使用并以介词 by 连接而成,结构非常直观。by 在此表示"以……的方式",整体意为"以一个接一个的方式"。这种"数词 + by + 数词"的结构在英语中很常见,如 two by two(两两地)、bit by bit(一点一点地)。该用法可追溯至中古英语时期,体现了英语中用简单词汇组合表达复杂概念的特点。