sphere
/sfɪə(r)/ (bre, ipa) · /sfɪr/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈsfir/ (ame, mw)
sphere — 名詞
- spheresingular
- spheresplural
1. a shape in three dimensions whose outer surface curves smoothly, with all parts
球體
完全圓形的立體形狀
a shape in three dimensions whose outer surface curves smoothly, with all parts sitting equally far from the middle point
Dewi carefully rolled the clay into a perfect sphere for the sculpture class.
Dewi 小心翼翼地把陶土揉成一個完美的球體，準備做雕塑課的作品。
collocation: perfect sphere; rolled into a sphere
The Earth is not a perfect sphere, because it is slightly wider at the equator.
地球並非完美的球體，因為它在赤道處稍微寬一些。
topic: Earth as a sphere
In the maths lesson, each student was given a wooden sphere to measure.
在數學課上，每個學生都拿到一個木製球體來測量。
Yuki polished the steel sphere until it shone like a mirror in the afternoon sun.
Yuki 把鋼球打磨到在午後的陽光下亮得像一面鏡子。
- cube
a solid with flat square faces, the opposite of round
用法筆記
In geometry, 'sphere' technically refers only to the surface, not the solid inside. In everyday use, however, people use it for the whole round object.
常見錯誤
2. a particular field of knowledge, work, interest, or influence in which someone i
領域
知識、工作或影響的範圍
a particular field of knowledge, work, interest, or influence in which someone is active or has power
Femi moved into the sphere of public health after working in a rural clinic.
Femi 在鄉村診所工作一段時間後，決定轉向公共衛生領域。
pattern: sphere of [field]
The two countries agreed to respect each other's sphere of influence in the region.
兩國同意尊重彼此在該地區的勢力範圍。
idiom: sphere of influence
Anna's sphere of responsibility grew quickly after she was promoted to team leader.
Anna 升任團隊主管後，她的職責範圍迅速擴大。
Technology has expanded the sphere of what is possible in modern medicine.
科技擴大了現代醫學所能觸及的領域。
文法句型
sphere of + noun
用法筆記
Often paired with 'of': sphere of influence, sphere of activity, sphere of interest. The noun before 'of' names the kind of sphere.
常見錯誤
3. the sky imagined as a large round dome above the earth, on which the sun, moon,
天球
想像中的星空穹頂
the sky imagined as a large round dome above the earth, on which the sun, moon, stars, and planets seem to move
Ancient astronomers mapped the stars onto a great celestial sphere surrounding the Earth.
古代天文學家把星星標在一圈環繞地球的巨大天球上。
compound: celestial sphere
Christopher spent hours studying the celestial sphere through his telescope on clear nights.
Christopher 在晴朗的夜晚花好幾個小時透過望遠鏡觀察天球。
The celestial sphere appears to rotate once each night as the Earth turns beneath it.
天球看起來每夜旋轉一圈，實際上是地球在它底下自轉。
Navigators in the past relied on the celestial sphere to find their way across oceans.
過去的航海者藉助天球在海洋上辨別方向。
用法筆記
In modern astronomy, 'celestial sphere' describes an imaginary sphere of any size around the Earth used for mapping star positions. It is NOT a physical object.
常見錯誤
sphere — 動詞
- spherepresent simple I / you / we / they
- spheres3rd person singular
- sphering-ing form
- spheredpast simple
1. to surround something completely or place it within a round enclosure, as if put
包圍
完全環繞或置於球狀內
to surround something completely or place it within a round enclosure, as if putting it inside a ball
The ancient temple was sphered by layers of mist that hid it from travellers below.
這座古廟被層層迷霧包圍，使山下路過的人看不見它。
passive: was sphered by
In the poem, the hero's soul is sphered within a globe of golden light.
在詩中，英雄的靈魂被包圍在一團金色的光芒之中。
literary register
The artist sphered the sculpture in a clear case to protect it from dust.
藝術家把雕塑放在一個透明罩子裡以隔絕灰塵。
Kabir imagined his whole world sphered inside a single glass marble.
Kabir 想像自己的整個世界被包在一顆小小的玻璃彈珠裡。
文法句型
be + sphere + by/in + noun
用法筆記
This sense is extremely rare in modern everyday English. You will most often encounter it in poetry, older literature, or highly formal descriptive writing.
2. to give something a perfectly round ball-like shape, usually by rolling, pressin
揉圓
將某物塑成球狀
to give something a perfectly round ball-like shape, usually by rolling, pressing, or moulding
The glassblower sphered the molten material with a few careful turns of the rod.
玻璃工匠轉了幾下吹管，就把熔化的材料變得渾圓。
technical register: glassblowing
Beatrix sphered the dough between her palms before placing it on the baking tray.
Beatrix 把麵團放在兩掌之間揉圓，再放到烤盤上。
Using gentle pressure, the potter sphered the lump of wet clay on the wheel.
陶藝家輕輕施力，把陶土塊在轉盤上塑成圓形。
The chef sphered the sauce into tiny droplets using a special tool.
主廚用一種特殊工具把醬汁塑成一顆顆小圓球。
文法句型
sphere + noun + into + noun
用法筆記
Far more common alternatives in everyday English include 'roll into a ball', 'shape into a sphere', or 'make round'. The verb 'sphere' itself is quite rare.
sphere — 構詞成分
1. a surrounding layer, zone, or region that envelops a planet or star, as in atmos
層／圈
用於科學名詞，表環繞天體的層或圈
a surrounding layer, zone, or region that envelops a planet or star, as in atmosphere, biosphere, or stratosphere
The biosphere includes all living things on Earth and the environments they inhabit.
生物圈包括地球上的所有生物以及牠們所處的環境。
example of combining form: biosphere
Pollution in the atmosphere affects the quality of air that people breathe every day.
大氣層中的汙染會影響人們每天呼吸的空氣品質。
Henrik's research focuses on how the hydrosphere interacts with the land surface.
Henrik 的研究重點是水圈如何與地表相互作用。
The stratosphere is the layer of the atmosphere where commercial aircraft usually fly.
平流層是大氣層中商用飛機通常飛行的那一層。
用法筆記
This is not a standalone word — it appears as the second part of compound nouns (e.g. atmosphere, biosphere, lithosphere). The first part names what the layer consists of (atmo- = air, bio- = life, litho- = rock).
2. the whole group or total realm of something, as in blogosphere (the world of blo
世界
構成名詞，表某領域的整體世界或社群
the whole group or total realm of something, as in blogosphere (the world of blogs) or noosphere (the world of human thought)
News of the scandal spread quickly across the entire blogosphere within a few hours.
這則醜聞的新聞在短短幾小時內傳遍了整個部落格圈。
example: blogosphere
Lucía's photography won praise right across the artosphere of online galleries.
Lucía 的攝影作品在線上藝廊圈中獲得了廣泛好評。
The Twitterverse and the blogosphere reacted very differently to the same announcement.
推特圈和部落格圈對同一則公告的反應截然不同。
Eli's posts about vintage cameras sparked debates across the photography blogosphere.
Eli 關於底片相機的發文在攝影部落格世界引發了許多討論。
用法筆記
This is a productive combining form: new words are created often, especially online (e.g. podcastosphere, subredditosphere). The meaning is always 'the whole world of X'.