The meaning you will hear most is “fend for yourself”: look after your own food, money, and safety, with nobody else taking care of you. A parent might say a child must learn to fend for themselves when they leave home. A small shop might have to fend for itself when a big company arrives.

The meaning你最常聽到的意思 you will hear most is是 “fend for yourself”「fend for yourself」: look after your own food, money, and safety自己照顧自己的飲食、金錢和安全, with nobody else taking care of you沒有別人在照顧你。A parent一位家長 might say可能會說 a child一個孩子 must learn to fend for themselves必須學會自己照顧自己 when they leave home離家的時候。A small shop一間小店 might have to fend for itself可能得靠自己撐下去 when a big company arrives當一間大公司進來的時候。

It is not slang, and it is not stiff office English either — it turns up in talk and in writing. You almost never say “fend” with nothing after it; it sounds unfinished.

It它 is not slang不是俚語, and而 it it也 is not stiff office English either也不是生硬的辦公室英文 — it它 turns up出現 in talk and in writing在口語和書面裡都會用到。You你 almost never say幾乎不會單獨說 “fend”「fend」 with nothing after it後面什麼都不接; it它 sounds unfinished聽起來會很不完整。

People also say “fend off” when you push something away or stop it reaching you — a question, an attack, even mosquitoes. That “push away” feeling is the older heart of the word.

People人們 also也 say “fend off”會說「fend off」 when當 you你 push something away or stop it reaching you把某個東西推開、不讓它靠近你 a question像一個問題, an attack一次攻擊, even mosquitoes甚至蚊子。That “push away” feeling那種「推開」的感覺 is the older heart of the word是這個字比較古老的核心意思。

Though actually, fend was cut down from defend: it is defend with the front knocked off. So “fend for yourself” is a bit like defending your own life without a helper.

Though actually不過其實, fend fend was cut down from defend是從defend縮短來的: it它 is defend就是把defend with the front knocked off前面砍掉。So所以, “fend for yourself”「fend for yourself」 is a bit like有點像 defending your own life沒有幫手 without a helper自己保衛自己的生活。