1the passing of time/the yearsPASS/TIME PASSINGthe process of time going by 时间/岁月的流逝
Most of the old traditions have died out with the passing of time.
随着时间的推移,大多数古老传统都已消亡。
The passing of the years had done nothing to improve his temper.
岁月的流逝一点也没有让他的坏脾气有所好转。
Examples from the Corpus
the passing of time/the years• The passing of the years has not weakened his artisticability.
2mention/note something in passingSAYif you say something in passing, you mention it while you are mainly talking about something else 〔在谈论别的事情时〕顺便说起某事,附带提及某事
He did mention his brother’s wife, but only in passing.
他确实提到了他的弟媳,但只是顺带而已。
Examples from the Corpus
mention/note something in passing• He noted, in passing, that he had lasted longer than Texas Sen.• Like many more, presumably, we mention Ribblehead in passing.• In Exodus the quails were mentioned only in passing.
3FINISH/COME TO AN ENDthe passing of something is the fact that it has ended 终止;消失
The old regime was defeated, and few people mourned its passing.
旧政权被打垮,几乎没有人对其消亡感到痛惜。
4MXDIEthe passing of a person is their death – use this when you want to avoid using the word ‘death’ 去世,过世〔委婉说法〕
Nothing could fill the gap in her life left by his passing.
2passing days/weeks/years etcliteraryPASS/TIME PASSING the days, weeks, years etc that pass 流逝的一天天/一周周/一年年等
Her grief became less intense with the passing years.
随着光阴的流逝,她的悲伤不那么强烈了。
With each passing day she grew stronger.
她一天比一天强壮起来。
Examples from the Corpus
passing days/weeks/years etc• As a young woman, she was pretty, slender, and graceful and she remained so with the passing years.• Dent is a throwback to medieval times bypassed by modern progress, an anachronism that has survived the passing years.• Through the passing days, the biting cruelty of it all slowly healed, leaving only the scartissue.• Over the passing years, time had been cruel to nearly everybody else.• Over the passing years, time had been kind to Caduta Massi.• The passing years took their toll, of course, and he did go into a decline when Grandmother died.
3SHORT TIMEa passing thought or feeling is short and not very serious 短暂的;一时的
He had only ever shown a passing interest in sport.
4a passing remark is one that you make while you are talking about something else 顺便提及的
He made only a passing reference to her achievements.
他仅仅顺便提了提她的成就。
Examples from the Corpus
passing• The malaise about a sharedintellectual and literaryculture was short-lived, the product of passingconfrontation.• Whether this is just a passingfad or a lasting fashiontrend, only time will tell.• passing fashions• a passingglance• Most people take only a passing interest in their horoscope.• After all, Levi admits to more than a passing interest in things financial, shall we say.• But only for one passing second.• At the time, I didn't give Alison so much as a passing thought -- I had other things on my mind.• Noise from the passingtraffic could be heard from the backyard.• Bernard reversedstraight out of the new garage into the road and hit a passingvan.• Six-year-old Michael Smith and his parents were spotted by a passingyacht as they clung to a tinybuoyancybag in darkness.
passing interest• For all its emotional resonance, it was in my mind an issue of minor and passing interest.• Yet caddis larvae, who do precisely that, command only passing interest.• This was the brainchild of Martin and Hermon Bond, two farmers, who had more than a passing interest in golf.• Anyway, it does no harm for a politician to evince some passing interest in sport.• There were also rumours that newspapertycoon Robert Maxwell was showing more than a passing interest in Storehouse.• The backlash is awaited with interest by everyone, even those with only a passing interest in the music scene.• After all, Levi admits to more than a passing interest in things financial, shall we say.• As far as it goes, the film will be of passing interest to anybody acquainted with the myth.