ciphering
/ˈsī-fər How to pronounce cipher (audio)/ (ame, mw)
ciphering — 名詞
1. a way of writing that hides the real message so that only someone who knows the
密碼；代碼
只有知道規則的人才能讀懂的書寫方式
a way of writing that hides the real message so that only someone who knows the secret rule can read it
Adisa taught her younger brother a simple ciphering trick for hiding notes from their parents.
Adisa 教她的弟弟一個簡單的密碼技巧，用來瞞過父母傳紙條。
collocation: ciphering trick
The British Admiralty used ciphering at Trafalgar to hide its battle orders from the French and Spanish fleets.
英國海軍在特拉法加戰役中使用密碼，以隱藏其作戰指令不讓法西聯合艦隊發現。
Kwame spent the summer reading about ciphering techniques from ancient Rome and Egypt.
Kwame 花了一整個夏天閱讀古羅馬和埃及的密碼技術。
Agent Novak stared at the stolen pages — without the ciphering key they were nothing but scrambled letters.
Novak 探員瞪著那些被盜的頁面——沒有密碼金鑰，它們就只是一堆混亂的字母。
The ciphering on Hana's messaging app turned every text into a string of numbers only her sister could read.
Hana 手機通訊軟體的密碼系統把每則訊息都變成一串數字，只有她姊姊的手機讀得懂。
- code
broader term; covers any system of symbols or signals, not only secret writing
- encryption
specifically electronic or digital encoding of data
- cryptosystem
technical term for the complete encoding-and-decoding scheme
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 2: ciphering here is the method itself, not the message it produces.
2. a piece of writing that has been turned into a secret code and cannot be underst
密文
已經被轉換成密碼的訊息
a piece of writing that has been turned into a secret code and cannot be understood without the right key
Ingrid opened the envelope and found a ciphering she could not make sense of.
Ingrid 打開信封，發現一份她完全無法理解的密文。
Radio Officer Blake copied down the ciphering as it arrived — five groups of letters with no obvious meaning.
無線電通訊官 Blake 隨著訊號傳入抄下密文——五組字母，看不出任何明顯的意思。
Sven passed a short ciphering to his contact during the busy market exchange.
Sven 在熱鬧的市集交易中，把一份簡短的密文遞給了他的聯絡人。
The ciphering sat on Commander Okonkwo's desk for six weeks before his codebreaking team finally cracked it open.
那份密文在 Okonkwo 指揮官的桌上放了六個星期，他的密碼破解團隊才終於把它解開。
- cryptogram
more formal; often used for code-breaking puzzles
- encoded message
more general and transparent in meaning
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1: this is the coded text that results from using a ciphering system.
3. the number that shows there is none of something; the symbol 0
零
表示空無的數字，即符號0
the number that shows there is none of something; the symbol 0
Grandfather's ledger showed a row of cipherings — each one a day with no sales at all.
祖父的帳本上有一整排零——每一個都代表一整天完全沒有生意。
ciphering as the written symbol for zero
The schoolmaster drew a ciphering on the blackboard and asked the class what number stood for emptiness.
老師在黑板上畫了一個零，問全班什麼數字代表空無一物。
In the ship's log, every windless day was recorded with a single ciphering: a small, careful 0.
航海日誌上，每個無風的日子都只用一個零來記錄：一個工整的小圓圈。
An old Florentine ledger showed ciphering as a small circle placed where we would now write 0.
一本佛羅倫斯舊帳本將 ciphering 畫成一個小圓圈，放在我們如今寫 0 的位置。
用法筆記
Now archaic. The word 'cipher' entered English through this meaning before broadening to its other senses.
4. someone who counts for nothing in a group or situation — a person others ignore
無名小卒
在群體中沒有地位、不被任何人重視的人
someone who counts for nothing in a group or situation — a person others ignore because they have no power or standing
Dmitri spent thirty years as a ciphering in the ministry, never once promoted or noticed.
Dmitri 在部裡當了三十年的無名小卒，從未升遷，也沒有人注意過他。
collocation: as a ciphering
Ambassador Chen warned her deputy that without voting power she would be reduced to a ciphering at the trade summit.
Chen 大使警告她的副手，如果沒有投票權，她在貿易峰會上就會淪為一個無名小卒。
collocation: reduced to ciphering
Fatima left the firm after realising the senior partners saw her as nothing but a ciphering.
Fatima 意識到資深合夥人只把她當作一個無名小卒後，便離開了那家公司。
Jorge knew he was a ciphering on the committee — his vote never changed any outcome.
Jorge 知道自己在委員會裡只是個無名小卒——他的一票從來沒有改變過任何結果。
常見錯誤
5. a written symbol for a number — such as 1, 2, or 3 — used instead of spelling th
數字
用於書寫數字符號，如1、2、3
a written symbol for a number — such as 1, 2, or 3 — used instead of spelling the number out in words
The spice trader scratched the price in clear ciphering — three strokes for 3 — right onto the clay tablet.
香料商人在泥板上用清晰的數字刻下價格——三劃代表 3。
Amara's thesis traced how Arabic ciphering reached Pisa in 1202 and slowly pushed out Roman numerals.
Amara 的論文追溯了阿拉伯數字如何在 1202 年傳到比薩，並逐漸取代了羅馬數字。
contrast: ciphering vs Roman numerals
A Florentine tax record from 1280 mixed Roman numerals and Arabic ciphering in the same column.
一份 1280 年的佛羅倫斯稅務記錄，在同一欄中混雜了羅馬數字與阿拉伯數字。
Tariq traced the elegant ciphering on the church cornerstone: 1-4-9-2, the year the builders finished it.
Tariq 用手指順著教堂基石上優美的數字刻痕——1-4-9-2，正是工匠完工的年份。
用法筆記
Rare in modern English. This historical sense reflects the word's origin: the Arabic word for zero gave rise to the European word for any numeral.
6. a decorative mark made by weaving together the first letters of a person's name,
花押字
由姓名首字母組成的裝飾性符號組合
a decorative mark made by weaving together the first letters of a person's name, printed or sewn onto personal items like towels, clothing, or writing paper
Chiamaka embroidered a delicate ciphering of her initials onto the corner of every handkerchief.
Chiamaka 在每條手帕的角落，繡上自己姓名縮寫的精緻花押字。
collocation: a delicate ciphering
The royal ciphering appeared on the gates, the stationery, and even the palace teacups.
皇家花押字出現在大門、文具，甚至宮殿的茶杯上。
collocation: royal ciphering
Adisa designed a wedding ciphering that wove the couple's two initials into a single elegant mark.
Adisa 設計了一款婚禮花押字，將新人雙方的姓名首字母交織成一個優雅的標記。
The Victorian letter was sealed with wax and stamped with the family ciphering.
那封維多利亞時代的信件用蠟封好，並蓋上了家族花押字。
- monogram
the standard modern term; interchangeable with ciphering in this sense
7. a ring of rappers or dancers where one person steps into the centre to perform i
即興接力圈
饒舌歌手圍圈輪流即興表演
a ring of rappers or dancers where one person steps into the centre to perform improvised verses or moves while everyone else watches and claps
Kwame stepped into the ciphering and delivered a freestyle that silenced every rapper watching.
Kwame 踏入即興接力圈，來了一段讓在場所有饒舌歌手都啞口無言的即興。
usage: step into the ciphering
The ciphering outside the club grew as more dancers gathered to take their turn in the middle.
俱樂部外面的即興接力圈越來越大，更多舞者聚集過來，等著輪到自己上場。
Ingrid had never seen a ciphering before — a ring of bodies clapping while one person flowed.
Ingrid 從未見過即興接力圈——一圈人拍手打節奏，而一個人在中間流暢地表演。
Sven felt his heart pound as he walked towards the ciphering, knowing his turn was next.
Sven 走向即興接力圈時心跳加速，知道自己下一個就輪到他了。
- cypher
alternative spelling of the same word
- freestyle circle
emphasises the improvisational aspect
- rap circle
more specific to rap rather than dance battles
用法筆記
This sense belongs to hip-hop and street-dance culture. A ciphering is both the physical circle and the competitive event itself.
8. a rap song on which several different artists each contribute a verse, taking tu
嘻哈接力曲
多位饒舌歌手輪流各唱一段的嘻哈歌曲
a rap song on which several different artists each contribute a verse, taking turns one after another
Yara played the ciphering on her phone all shift — every rapper brought a different style.
Yara 值班時用手機把那首嘻哈接力曲聽了一整班——每位饒舌歌手都帶來不同風格。
The album closed with a ten-minute ciphering recorded in a basement studio after the label party ended.
那張專輯以一首十分鐘的嘻哈接力曲作結，是唱片公司派對結束後在地下錄音室錄製的。
pattern: a ciphering that featured + number of rappers
Mei-Lin played the ciphering at her house party and watched the room go quiet when the third rapper's verse hit.
Mei-Lin 在家裡的派對上放了那首嘻哈接力曲，看到第三位饒舌歌手的段落一出，全場都安靜下來。
DJ Omar stitched the ciphering together from voice notes sent by rappers in Lagos, Seoul, and São Paulo.
DJ Omar 把來自拉哥斯、首爾和聖保羅的饒舌歌手各自傳來的錄音，拼接成這首嘻哈接力曲。
- posse cut
hip-hop slang term for a track with many featured artists
- collab track
more general term for any collaborative song across genres
ciphering — 動詞
- cipheringpresent simple I / you / we / they
- cipherings3rd person singular
- cipheringing-ing form
- cipheringedpast simple
1. to work out an answer using numbers — adding, subtracting, multiplying, or divid
計算；演算
用數字進行加減乘除等數學運算
to work out an answer using numbers — adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing to reach a result
Dmitri sat at the kitchen table ciphering the monthly expenses with a pencil and old ledger.
Dmitri 坐在廚房桌前，用鉛筆和舊帳本計算每月的開銷。
pattern: ciphering + object (the monthly expenses)
Fatima ciphered faster than anyone in the village — she could total a column of figures in seconds.
Fatima 計算的速度比村裡任何人都快——她能在幾秒內加總一整欄數字。
intransitive use: ciphered faster
Mr. Hashimoto ciphered each customer's total on a paper bag, glancing up only when the bell above the door rang.
Hashimoto 先生在紙袋上計算每位顧客的總額，只有門上鈴鐺響起時才抬一下頭。
Jorge taught his daughter to cipher before she started school, using buttons and dried beans.
Jorge 在女兒上學前就教她計算，用鈕扣和乾豆子當教具。
Miss Okafor stood at the board while twenty children ciphered aloud — 'seven and eight makes fifteen, carry the one!'
Okafor 老師站在黑板前，二十個孩子一邊大聲計算——「七加八等於十五，進位一！」
文法句型
cipher
cipher + object
用法筆記
Now rare in everyday English; largely replaced by 'calculate' or 'work out.' Still found in historical writing and rural dialects.
常見錯誤
2. to turn a plain message into a secret form that cannot be read without the right
加密；編碼
將普通文字訊息轉換為密碼形式
to turn a plain message into a secret form that cannot be read without the right key
Chiamaka ciphered the letter carefully, replacing each word with a symbol from the shared notebook.
Chiamaka 小心翼翼地為信件加密，用共用筆記本上的符號替換每一個字。
pattern: cipher + object (the letter)
The courier ciphered the shipment dates into three short lines and tucked the paper inside a bicycle handlebar.
信差把出貨日期加密成三行簡短的文字，將紙條塞進單車把手裡面。
Tariq spent the night ciphering the troop movements into a message short enough to send by pigeon.
Tariq 花了一整晚把部隊調動訊息加密成短到可以用鴿子傳送的長度。
Captain Rosales ciphered the evacuation order with the ship's rotor machine before the radio operator transmitted it.
Rosales 船長用船上的轉輪加密機將撤離命令加密後，才讓無線電通訊官發送出去。
Amara learned to cipher messages when she was twelve, using a code wheel her grandfather had made.
Amara 十二歲時學會了為訊息加密，用的是祖父製作的一個密碼輪。
文法句型
cipher + noun