circle
/ˈsɜːkl/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈsɜːrkl/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈsər-kəl/ (ame, mw) · /ˈsɜː.kəl/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈsɝː.kəl/ (ame, ipa)
circle — 名詞
1. a round form created by a curved line whose points all stay the same distance fr
圓形
一條封閉曲線圍成的平面形狀
a round form created by a curved line whose points all stay the same distance from a central point; the flat region enclosed by that line
The children sat on the carpet in a circle to listen to the story.
孩子們在地毯上坐成一個圓形聽故事。
in a circle — prepositional phrase for arrangement
Yara drew a large red circle on her piece of paper.
Yara 在她的紙上畫了一個紅色大圓形。
draw + circle: common verb–noun collocation
The clock on the classroom wall is a perfect white circle.
教室牆上的時鐘是一個完美的白色圓形。
Cut the cookie dough into small circles with a knife.
用刀子把餅乾麵糰切成小圓形。
A full moon is a bright circle hanging in the night sky.
滿月是一個明亮的圓形掛在夜空中。
- square
a shape with four straight sides of equal length and four right angles
用法筆記
Countable noun. Often used with 'in' to describe arrangement: 'in a circle'. Also followed by 'of' to specify what is shaped that way: 'a circle of light'.
常見錯誤
2. any set of individuals connected through similar interests, shared work, or soci
圈子
因共同興趣或社交連結而形成的群體
any set of individuals connected through similar interests, shared work, or social bonds with one another
Priya has a wide circle of friends from different countries.
Priya 有很多來自不同國家的朋友圈子。
circle of friends — most common collocation
The novel was widely discussed in academic circles across Europe.
這本小說在歐洲各地的學術圈子裡廣受討論。
academic circles / political circles / business circles
Rohan moved in literary circles after publishing his first book of poetry.
Rohan 出版第一本詩集後便活躍於文學圈子。
Her close circle of colleagues supported her through the difficult project.
她的密切同事圈子在整個困難的專案中支持著她。
The Watanabe family's social circle includes many artists and musicians.
渡邊家的社交圈子裡有許多藝術家和音樂家。
文法句型
circle of + plural noun
用法筆記
Almost always followed by 'of + noun' to specify the type of people (circle of friends, circle of colleagues). The expression 'move in … circles' describes someone's typical social or professional environment.
常見錯誤
3. a curved seating area on an upper level of a theatre, cinema, or similar perform
樓座
劇院上層弧形座位區
a curved seating area on an upper level of a theatre, cinema, or similar performance venue
Theo bought cheap tickets for the circle at the National Theatre.
Theo 在國家劇院買了樓座的便宜票。
From the upper circle, Nadia could see the entire stage perfectly.
從上層樓座，Nadia 可以完美地看到整個舞台。
upper circle / dress circle — specific balcony levels
The family sat in the dress circle to watch the ballet performance.
一家人坐在包廂樓座欣賞芭蕾舞表演。
The theatre has three levels: stalls, circle, and balcony.
這家劇院有三層座位區：一樓正廳、樓座和包廂。
- stalls
the lowest level of seating on the ground floor of a theatre
用法筆記
Chiefly British English. In US theatres the same level is usually called the 'mezzanine' or 'balcony'. Common specific varieties: 'dress circle' (the first balcony, slightly more expensive seats) and 'upper circle' (higher, cheaper seats).
circle — 動詞
1. to go along a curved path that passes around a person, thing, or place, sometime
繞行
繞著某人或某物呈圓形移動
to go along a curved path that passes around a person, thing, or place, sometimes repeatedly; to travel in a loop around something
Eagles circled high above the mountain valley looking for food.
老鷹在山谷上方高高繞行，尋找食物。
intransitive: circle + location adverb
A police helicopter circled the building twice before landing on the roof.
警用直升機在建築物上方繞行兩次，然後降落在屋頂上。
transitive: circle + direct object
The plane circled the airport for forty minutes waiting for permission to land.
飛機在機場上空繞行了四十分鐘，等待降落許可。
Kofi watched the dancers circle one another slowly in the middle of the room.
Kofi 看著舞者在房間中央慢慢地互相繞行。
Shadows circled the room as the candle flame flickered in the breeze.
隨著燭火在微風中搖曳，影子在房間裡繞行。
文法句型
circle + object (transitive)
circle around + object (intransitive)
circle + adverb phrase
用法筆記
Can be used intransitively ('The birds circled above') or transitively ('The plane circled the airport'). The intransitive form is often followed by an adverb of place or 'around'. This sense is less common in everyday conversation and more frequent in descriptive or formal narrative contexts.
常見錯誤
2. to draw a circular line around a word, number, letter, or symbol on a page in or
圈選
在文字或數字周圍畫圓圈以標記
to draw a circular line around a word, number, letter, or symbol on a page in order to select, highlight, or mark it
The teacher told the students to circle the correct answer on the worksheet.
老師叫學生在學習單上圈選正確答案。
common in classroom instructions
Hana circled the wedding date on her calendar with a red pen.
Hana 用紅筆在日曆上圈選了婚禮日期。
Circle any words in the passage that you do not understand.
圈選文章中任何你不懂的詞語。
The student circled the spelling mistake and wrote the correction above it.
那名學生圈選了拼寫錯誤，並在上方寫上正確寫法。
Diego circled the names of three candidates on the voting paper.
Diego 在選票上圈選了三名候選人的名字。
- cross out
to draw a line through something to remove or reject it
文法句型
circle + noun phrase
用法筆記
Very common in classroom instructions, exam directions, and marking. The action is done with a pen or pencil. This sense is purely about drawing a circle around something on a flat surface — not about physical movement.
常見錯誤
3. to place or arrange people or objects so that they form the shape of a circle, o
圍成圈
將人或物排列成圓形
to place or arrange people or objects so that they form the shape of a circle, often around a central point or person
The teacher circled the desks so students could see one another during the discussion.
老師把桌子圍成圈，讓學生在討論時可以看見彼此。
active form + around omitted (implied by context)
The children circled the birthday cake and began to sing loudly.
孩子們圍成圈繞著生日蛋糕，開始大聲唱歌。
The stones were circled around the campfire to mark the edge of the sitting area.
石頭被圍成圈繞著營火，標示出座位的範圍。
Leila circled the chairs around the low table for the evening gathering of friends.
Leila 把椅子圍成圈繞著矮桌，為晚間的朋友聚會做準備。
- spread out
to place items apart from each other rather than in a closed shape
文法句型
circle + noun phrase + around + noun phrase
be circled + prepositional phrase
用法筆記
Often used in the passive voice ('The chairs were circled around the table'). The pattern 'circle + noun + around + noun' is the most common. This sense overlaps partly with verb sense 1 (MOVE AROUND) but differs in that the focus here is on resulting arrangement, not motion.