原指不看乐谱，全凭听觉记忆来弹奏音乐。现在指没有预先的计划，根据事情的发展情况临时决定怎么做。

• We don’t have a set plan for the weekend, so let’s just play it by ear. ^{我们周末没定计划，到时候随性安排吧。}
• I’m not sure what time I’ll be finished, so let’s play it by ear. ^{我不确定几点能结束，到时看情况再说吧。}
• Instead of a strict schedule, they decided to play it by ear during their trip. ^{他们决定在旅行中随机应变，而不是制定严格的时间表。}