clustering
clustering — 名詞
1. a set of similar things, people, or events that are located or happen close to o
群聚現象
相似事物聚在一起的整體現象
a set of similar things, people, or events that are located or happen close to one another, often forming a noticeable pattern.
A clustering of small cafés has appeared along the riverside walk in Élise's neighbourhood.
Élise 家附近的河邊步道上，出現了一群小咖啡店的群聚現象。
a clustering of + [plural noun]
The map showed a strange clustering of dropped phone calls around the old radio tower.
地圖上顯示，舊無線電塔周邊有奇怪的斷訊群聚現象。
clustering of [events] around [location]
Kabir noticed a clustering of bright red berries on one branch of the holly tree.
Kabir 注意到冬青樹上有一根枝條上長著一整叢鮮紅色漿果，形成明顯的群聚現象。
There was a thick clustering of weekend bookings between Friday night and Sunday morning.
週五晚上到週日早上之間，週末的訂位有明顯的群聚現象。
Researchers studied the clustering of new bakeries in the quiet streets north of the river.
研究人員研究了河北邊那些安靜街道上新開麵包店的群聚現象。
- grouping
more neutral; used for any kind of arrangement, not only spontaneous gathering
- cluster
the result viewed as a single unit; 'clustering' emphasises the pattern of formation
- concentration
stresses density at one spot rather than several items grouped together
- dispersal
opposite process: items spreading out rather than gathering
文法句型
a clustering of [noun]
the clustering of [nouns]
用法筆記
Subject is usually a plural noun describing the items that group together; the prepositional phrase 'of X' is almost always present.
常見錯誤
2. a higher than expected number of cases of an illness happening in one area, grou
病例群聚
同一地區或群體中異常多的病例
a higher than expected number of cases of an illness happening in one area, group of people, or short period of time.
Health officials studied the clustering of asthma cases near the old factory in Caio's town.
公衛官員研究了 Caio 家鄉那座舊工廠附近的氣喘病例群聚情況。
medical context: clustering of [disease] cases near [place]
Doctors reported an unusual clustering of food poisoning among guests at one wedding in Amira's village.
醫師通報，Amira 村裡有一場婚禮的賓客之間出現異常的食物中毒群聚。
clustering among [defined group]
The study found a clear clustering of skin rashes among workers who handled the new dye.
這項研究發現，處理過新染料的工人之間明顯出現皮膚紅疹的群聚。
Geographic clustering of the rare lung disease peaked within three streets of the chemical plant.
這種罕見肺病的地理群聚在化學工廠周邊三條街內達到高峰。
- outbreak
implies sudden spread; clustering only describes the statistical pattern
- incidence pattern
more technical; preferred in epidemiology papers
文法句型
clustering of [disease/cases]
geographic clustering of [disease]
用法筆記
Used by epidemiologists and public-health writers; almost always followed by 'of [disease name or symptom]' and a place or group reference. Distinguish from sense 1 by the medical-investigation context.
3. the practice of linking several computers so that they work together as one larg
叢集架構
多台電腦合作運作的技術
the practice of linking several computers so that they work together as one larger system, sharing tasks and backing each other up if one fails.
Hyun set up server clustering so the website would stay online even if one machine crashed.
Hyun 設定了伺服器叢集架構，這樣即使有一台機器當機，網站仍能維持上線。
server clustering for [purpose: reliability]
The bank uses database clustering to handle millions of card payments every hour without slowing down.
那家銀行採用資料庫叢集架構，才能每小時處理數百萬筆刷卡交易不卡頓。
database clustering for [high traffic]
Beatrix explained that clustering lets four small servers share the workload of one large one.
Beatrix 解釋說，叢集架構讓四台小型伺服器一起分擔一台大型伺服器的工作量。
Without clustering, the entire booking system would freeze whenever traffic spiked on Friday evenings.
沒有叢集架構的話，每到週五晚上流量飆高時，整個訂位系統就會卡死。
- load balancing
related but narrower: balancing covers traffic distribution; clustering covers the whole shared-system setup
- high availability
names the goal that clustering helps achieve
- single-server setup
the opposite design: one machine, no shared workload
文法句型
server clustering
database clustering
用法筆記
Common collocates: 'server clustering', 'database clustering', 'high-availability clustering'. Subject is usually an IT team or system; rarely used outside technical writing.
4. the way stars or galaxies appear to gather in groups in the night sky because gr
星系團聚集
因重力使恆星或星系聚集的現象
the way stars or galaxies appear to gather in groups in the night sky because gravity pulls them toward one another.
Imani showed her class photos of strange clustering of young stars near the galaxy centre.
Imani 給班上看了銀河中心附近年輕恆星奇特聚集的照片。
clustering of [stars/galaxies]
Galaxy clustering tells astronomers a great deal about how the early universe was shaped.
星系團聚集的研究讓天文學家對早期宇宙的形成有了更多了解。
galaxy clustering
The new telescope captured tight clustering of distant galaxies far beyond what older lenses could see.
新望遠鏡拍到了遠方星系緊密聚集的畫面，遠超出舊鏡片所能看到的範圍。
Hamza wrote his thesis on the clustering of red stars in the Milky Way's outer halo.
Hamza 的論文主題是銀河系外圍光暈中紅色恆星的聚集現象。
- grouping
more general; used outside astronomy as well
文法句型
clustering of [stars/galaxies]
galaxy clustering
用法筆記
Domain term in astronomy and cosmology; almost always with 'galaxy', 'star', or a named region of the sky. Distinguish from sense 1 by the celestial subject.
5. in linguistics, the appearance of two or more consonant or vowel sounds next to
連音現象
音節中多個子音或母音相連的情形
in linguistics, the appearance of two or more consonant or vowel sounds next to each other inside one syllable, with no vowel in between for consonants.
Defne studied how consonant clustering at the start of English words like 'street' challenges new learners.
Defne 研究了像「street」這種英文字開頭的子音連音現象，對英語初學者造成的困難。
consonant clustering at the start of [word]
The textbook used 'sixths' as a famous example of heavy consonant clustering at word-end.
課本以「sixths」作為字尾出現大量子音連音現象的著名例子。
heavy consonant clustering
Vowel clustering across syllables can change how a word sounds in fast everyday speech.
跨音節的母音連音現象，會改變一個字在日常快速口語中聽起來的樣子。
Jude noticed that Italian allows much less consonant clustering than Polish or German does.
Jude 發現義大利文允許的子音連音現象，比波蘭文或德文少得多。
- consonant cluster
names the result (a single cluster); 'clustering' is the broader phenomenon across many words
文法句型
consonant clustering
vowel clustering
用法筆記
Specialist linguistics term; almost always 'consonant clustering' or 'vowel clustering'. Subject is the sound pattern itself or the language that permits it.
6. the practice of building several houses or other structures close together on on
集中式建造
把房屋密集蓋在一處以保留開放空間
the practice of building several houses or other structures close together on one piece of land so that the open space around them can be shared.
Christopher's design used clustering of small houses to leave a large meadow for children's play.
Christopher 的設計把小型住宅集中式建造在一處，留下一大片草地給孩子們玩耍。
clustering of [small houses] to preserve [open space]
The new village plan favours clustering of homes around a central garden, not long single rows.
新的村落規劃偏好把住宅集中式建造在中央花園周圍，而不是長長的單排住宅。
clustering of homes around [shared feature]
Eli argued that clustering of cabins near the lake would keep most of the forest untouched.
Eli 主張把小屋集中式建造在湖邊，這樣大部分森林就能維持不受打擾。
Town planners praised the clustering of new homes for protecting the wooded ridge above.
鎮上的規劃人員稱讚新住宅的集中式建造，因為它保護了上方的林地山脊。
- cluster development
the formal name for this planning approach
- sprawl
the opposite pattern: buildings spread thinly across a large area
文法句型
clustering of [buildings/houses]
用法筆記
Planning and architecture term; the contrast is between clustering and spreading individual houses across a wide site. Often followed by a purpose phrase ('to preserve…', 'around…').
clustering — 動詞
1. the act of similar people or things gathering close together, often around someo
聚集；圍攏
相似的人或物靠近彼此形成一群
the act of similar people or things gathering close together, often around someone or something, or making a group form in this way.
A small crowd was clustering around Jack as he opened his birthday gifts in the garden.
Jack 在花園裡拆開生日禮物時，一小群人正聚集在他身邊。
clustering around + [person]
Tiny silver fish were clustering near the warm pipe at the side of the harbour.
幾條銀色的小魚正聚集在港口邊那條溫熱的水管旁邊。
clustering near + [place]
Reporters kept clustering at the courtroom door, hoping to catch a word from the lawyer.
記者們不斷聚集在法庭門口，希望能從律師口中得到一句話。
The students were clustering together by the heater because the classroom was freezing cold.
因為教室裡凍得發冷，學生們都聚集圍攏在暖氣旁邊。
Reviews of the new restaurant were clustering around three or four stars rather than spreading evenly.
這家新餐廳的評論大多集中在三到四顆星之間，而不是平均分布。
- scattering
items moving apart in different directions
文法句型
clustering around [person/thing]
clustering together
clustering near [place]
用法筆記
Used as the present participle of 'cluster'; common in descriptive writing about crowds, animals, and data. Often followed by 'around', 'near', 'at', or 'together'.