instrument
/ˈɪnstrəmənt/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈɪnstrəmənt/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈin(t)-strə-mənt/ (ame, mw)
instrument — 名詞
1. A physical object built for creating music when someone plays it — pianos, guita
樂器
演奏音樂用的物品
A physical object built for creating music when someone plays it — pianos, guitars, flutes, and drums are all examples.
Élise has been learning to play the piano, her favourite instrument, since she was six.
Élise 從六歲開始就一直學習彈奏她最喜歡的樂器——鋼琴。
collocation: play + instrument
The orchestra uses more than fifty different instruments, including violins and drums.
該管弦樂團使用超過五十種不同的樂器，包括小提琴和鼓。
Apinya chose the guitar as her first instrument because she loved its sound.
Apinya 選擇吉他作為她的第一種樂器，因為她喜歡它的聲音。
At the music shop, Talia tested three different wind instruments before buying a flute.
在樂器行裡，Talia 試了三種不同的管樂器，最後買了一支長笛。
- musical instrument
the full form; 'instrument' alone is normal in most contexts
用法筆記
This is the most common meaning of 'instrument'. Use 'play the [instrument]' or 'play an instrument' to talk about performing music.
2. A hand-powered tool or piece of equipment designed for a specific job, especiall
工具
特定用途的手工器具
A hand-powered tool or piece of equipment designed for a specific job, especially in medicine, science, or craft work.
The surgeon asked for a clean instrument before making the first cut.
外科醫生在切下第一刀之前要求使用乾淨的手術器械。
collocation: surgical instrument
Caleb keeps his wood-carving instruments in a leather roll to protect the sharp blades.
Caleb 將他的木雕工具放在皮捲裡，以保護鋒利的刀片。
In her university lab, Lara used precision instruments to measure the lead content in local water samples.
在學校的實驗室裡，Lara 使用精密儀器測量當地水樣本中的鉛含量。
The dentist picked up a small metal instrument and carefully examined Diya's back tooth.
牙醫拿起一支小型金屬器械，仔細檢查 Diya 後排的牙齒。
Sade cleaned her laboratory instruments, including the microscope and the balance, after each experiment with bacteria samples.
Sade 每次做完細菌樣本的實驗後，都會清理實驗室儀器，包括顯微鏡和天秤。
常見錯誤
3. A gauge, dial, or display panel inside a vehicle that shows information such as
儀表
車輛內顯示資訊的裝置
A gauge, dial, or display panel inside a vehicle that shows information such as speed, altitude, fuel level, or engine temperature.
The pilot checked her instruments before beginning the descent toward the runway.
飛行員在開始向跑道下降之前檢查了儀表。
collocation: flight instrument
When the fuel gauge stopped working, Noa knew one of the dashboard instruments needed repair.
當油量表失靈時，Noa 知道儀表板上有個儀表需要修理。
Captain Andrei checked the digital instruments on the Airbus A380, which showed altitude, speed, and fuel on a single screen.
機長 Andrei 檢查了 Airbus A380 上的數位儀表，這些儀表在單一螢幕上顯示高度、速度和燃油量。
The instrument panel in Vinícius's car lit up with a warning light for low tire pressure.
Vinícius 的汽車儀表板亮起警示燈，顯示輪胎壓力不足。
4. Something that someone uses as a way to get a result or make something happen, e
手段
達成目標的方法或途徑
Something that someone uses as a way to get a result or make something happen, especially in a deliberate or planned way.
For Yara, growing up in rural Ghana, education was a powerful instrument for building a better future.
對在迦納鄉村長大的 Yara 來說，教育是打造更美好未來的有力工具。
pattern: instrument for [verb]-ing
The Camp David Accords served as an instrument of peace between Egypt and Israel for more than forty years.
大衛營協議作為埃及和以色列之間的和平工具，維持了超過四十年的關係。
pattern: instrument of [noun]
During the 2020 protests in Bangkok, student activists used social media as an instrument for organizing mass rallies.
在 2020 年曼谷的抗議活動中，學生運動者利用社群媒體作為組織大規模集會的手段。
Yumi saw the scholarship from a Japanese university as an instrument for training as a surgeon and serving her hometown.
Yumi 將日本大學的獎學金視為接受外科醫師訓練並服務家鄉的途徑。
文法句型
instrument of [noun]
instrument for [verb]-ing
5. A financial product such as a bond, share, or contract that can be bought, sold,
金融工具
可在市場上交易的投資產品
A financial product such as a bond, share, or contract that can be bought, sold, or traded on financial markets.
In 2023, Toyota issued ten-year bonds — a type of debt instrument — to raise two billion dollars for its electric-vehicle factories.
2023 年，Toyota 發行了十年期債券——一種債務工具——為其電動車工廠籌集了二十億美元。
collocation: debt instrument
A London investment bank trades complex financial instruments, including derivatives linked to oil prices and global currency rates.
一家倫敦投資銀行交易複雜的金融工具，包括與油價和全球匯率連動的衍生性商品。
collocation: financial instrument
The Indian government issued savings instruments called 'Infrastructure Bonds' to raise money for building new highways across the country.
印度政府發行了名為「基建債券」的儲蓄工具，以籌集資金在全國修建新的高速公路。
When Iker bought stock options without understanding the risks, he lost his entire savings in less than three months.
Iker 在未了解風險的情況下買了股票選擇權，結果在不到三個月內賠光了所有積蓄。
6. Someone used and directed by a more powerful person to serve that person's own a
棋子
被他人利用控制的人
Someone used and directed by a more powerful person to serve that person's own aims, without being able to choose freely.
The general felt he had been treated as a mere instrument of the dictator's ambitions.
將軍覺得自己不過是被獨裁者用來實現野心的棋子。
pattern: instrument of [powerful entity]
In the novel, the young soldier is an instrument of the empire, carrying out orders without question.
在小說中，那名年輕士兵是帝國的棋子，毫不質疑地執行命令。
The whistleblower refused to be an instrument of the company's cover-up and went to the press.
吹哨者拒絕成為公司隱瞞真相的工具，轉而向媒體投訴。
Christopher worried that the recruitment team saw students as mere instruments of university funding targets.
Christopher 擔心招生團隊把學生視為達成大學募款目標的棋子。
- master
the person who does the controlling
文法句型
instrument of [noun]
常見錯誤
instrument — 動詞
1. To put measuring and recording devices into a machine, vehicle, or system so tha
安裝儀器
在設備或系統上安裝監測儀器
To put measuring and recording devices into a machine, vehicle, or system so that it can collect data or be monitored.
The engineering team instrumented the bridge with sensors to monitor its movement during earthquakes.
工程團隊在橋樑上安裝了感測器，以監測其在地震期間的移動情況。
pattern: instrument [object] with [sensors]
Each test car is instrumented with cameras and recorders before the crash trials begin.
每輛測試車在碰撞試驗開始前都裝有攝影機和記錄器。
passive: is instrumented with
Researchers instrumented the volcano with heat sensors and seismographs to predict eruptions.
研究人員在火山上安裝了熱感測器和地震儀，以預測噴發。
Dr. Minho of Seoul National University instrumented the lab with six gas sensors to track daily air quality changes.
首爾國立大學的 Minho 博士在實驗室安裝了六個氣體感測器，以追蹤每日的空氣品質變化。
文法句型
instrument [something] with [sensors/devices]
2. To write or arrange a piece of music so that it is played by particular musical
編曲
為樂曲編寫不同樂器聲部
To write or arrange a piece of music so that it is played by particular musical instruments, especially to create an orchestral version.
The composer instrumented her latest symphony for a full orchestra of eighty players.
作曲家為她最新的交響曲編寫了八十大樂手的大型管弦樂團配器。
pattern: instrument [piece] for [ensemble]
Mauricio spent months instrumenting the piano piece for a chamber group.
Mauricio 花了數月時間將這首鋼琴曲改編成適合室內樂團演奏。
The music teacher, Inês, was asked to instrument the old folk song for strings and woodwinds only.
音樂老師 Inês 受邀將這首古老的民謠編曲，僅由弦樂和木管樂器演奏。
Hui learned how to instrument a melody for four different instrument families at music school.
Hui 在音樂學校學會了如何為旋律編寫四種不同樂器家族的配器。
- orchestrate
more common; specifically means writing for an orchestra
- arrange
broader; adapting music for any combination of instruments
- score
the most common term for writing instrumental parts
文法句型
instrument [piece] for [ensemble]
3. To prepare, issue, or address a formal legal document, such as a contract, deed,
擬定文書
製作並送達正式法律文書
To prepare, issue, or address a formal legal document, such as a contract, deed, or writ, to a specific person or authority.
Nora, the lawyer, instrumented the deed of trust for the Garcia house and sent signed copies to all three parties.
律師 Nora 為 Garcia 家的房子擬定了信託契據，並將簽署好的副本寄送給三方當事人。
legal register: instrument a deed
The federal court in Chicago instrumented a summons to each of the seven companies named in the environmental pollution lawsuit.
芝加哥聯邦法院向環境污染訴訟中被點名的七家公司各送達了一份傳票。
legal register: instrument a summons
Obi's law firm in Lagos instrumented the contract for a forty-unit housing development near Victoria Island last Tuesday.
Obi 位於拉哥斯的律師事務所上週二為維多利亞島附近一個四十戶的住宅開發案擬定了合約。
Notary Tamás instrumented the transfer of Chiara's apartment to the new owners and recorded it with the Budapest registry.
公證人 Tamás 擬定了 Chiara 公寓的產權移轉文件予新屋主，並向布達佩斯登記處辦理登記。
文法句型
instrument [document] to [person]