cube
cube — 形容詞
1. relating to a number that has been multiplied by itself twice, typically written
立方的
某數乘以自身三次的
relating to a number that has been multiplied by itself twice, typically written with a small 3 above and to the right of the number.
The teacher wrote 2 cubed equals 8 on the board for the class to copy.
老師在黑板上寫下「2 的立方等於 8」，讓全班同學抄下來。
pattern: number + cubed + equals + result
Elise remembered that in the formula V = r³, the letter r stands for the cubed radius of a sphere.
Elise 記得在公式 V = r³ 中，字母 r 代表球體半徑的立方值。
cubed used before a noun as an attributive adjective
Apinya checked her homework and confirmed that 4 cubed equals 64 before showing her work to the teacher.
Apinya 檢查了回家作業，確認 4 的立方等於 64，然後把計算過程拿給老師看。
Sora double-checked that 10 cubed equals one thousand before writing the answer on the maths test.
Sora 再三確認 10 的立方等於一千之後，才把答案寫在數學考卷上。
- to the third power
more formal phrasing used in mathematical writing
- raised to the third power
full expression; more common in textbooks than in speech
文法句型
cubed + noun
number + cubed
用法筆記
Frequently appears with a superscript 3 symbol (³) rather than the word 'cubed'. In written math expressions, the numeral comes first — e.g. 5³, not 'cubed 5'.
常見錯誤
cube — 名詞
1. a solid object that has six square surfaces of the same size, with each surface
正方體
六個等大正方形面組成的立體
a solid object that has six square surfaces of the same size, with each surface meeting the next at a 90-degree angle, like a dice or a building block.
The children used wooden cubes to build a tower in the classroom.
孩子們用木製立方體積木在教室裡搭了一座塔。
collocation: wooden cube
A standard dice is a small cube with dots numbered one to six on its faces.
標準的骰子是一個小正方體，每個面分別標有數字 1 到 6。
real-world example: dice as a cube
The sculptor carved a cube from a single block of white marble.
雕刻家用一整塊白色大理石雕刻出一個立方體。
Jabari drew a cube on his notebook and shaded three of its faces.
Jabari 在筆記本上畫了一個立方體，並在三個面上塗了陰影。
文法句型
a + cube + of + noun
cube-shaped + noun
用法筆記
Distinguish from 'square' (a 2D shape) and 'cuboid' (a 3D shape whose faces are rectangles, not necessarily squares). Every cube is a cuboid, but not every cuboid is a cube.
常見錯誤
2. the result you get when you multiply a number by itself twice — for instance, 5
立方數
某數自乘三次的結果
the result you get when you multiply a number by itself twice — for instance, 5 × 5 × 5 = 125, so 125 is the cube of 5.
Minh wrote on the board that the cube of 3 is 27 and showed the class how 3 × 3 × 3 works.
Minh 在黑板上寫下 3 的立方是 27，並向全班示範 3 × 3 × 3 的計算過程。
pattern: the cube of [number] is [result]
Ishaan calculated the cube of 6, got 216, and checked the answer in his maths book before moving on.
Ishaan 算出 6 的立方是 216，在數學本上核對答案後才繼續往下做。
The teacher wrote 64 on the board and showed the class it was a perfect cube because 4 × 4 × 4 equals 64.
老師在黑板上寫下 64，向全班示範這是一個完全立方數，因為 4 × 4 × 4 等於 64。
The class had to memorise the cubes of numbers one through ten for the Friday maths quiz.
全班必須背誦數字一到十的立方數，以準備週五的數學小考。
- third power
more formal; used in mathematical writing ('2 raised to the third power')
- cube root
inverse operation — the cube root of 8 is 2, and the cube of 2 is 8
文法句型
the + cube + of + number
perfect + cube
用法筆記
The object is almost always a number or variable (e.g., 'the cube of x', 'the cube of 9'). Do not confuse with 'square' (multiplying by itself once). A common classroom question format is 'What is the cube of ___?'
常見錯誤
3. a small square-shaped piece of something, usually food, that has been cut into t
小方塊；丁
切成方塊形狀的食物小塊
a small square-shaped piece of something, usually food, that has been cut into this size and shape for eating or cooking.
Gita dropped two cubes of sugar into her coffee and stirred slowly.
Gita 放了兩塊方糖到咖啡裡，然後慢慢攪拌。
collocation: cube of sugar
The recipe says to add cubes of chicken breast and let them simmer in the tomato sauce for fifteen minutes.
食譜上說要加入雞胸肉丁，讓它們在番茄醬汁中燉煮十五分鐘。
collocation: cubes of [meat/vegetable]
Léa cut the firm tofu into small cubes before adding them to the soup.
Léa 把板豆腐切成小方塊，然後放進湯裡。
Aylin placed a cube of butter in the hot pan and watched it melt.
Aylin 放了一塊奶油到熱鍋裡，看著它融化。
文法句型
a + cube + of + food noun
用法筆記
Subject is usually a cook or recipe instruction. The cube size is typically about 1-2 cm per side. Common with ingredients like cheese, meat, tofu, butter, bread, fruit, and vegetables.
常見錯誤
cube — 動詞
1. to divide food into small squared pieces of roughly equal size, usually while pr
切成丁；切塊
將食物切成小方塊
to divide food into small squared pieces of roughly equal size, usually while preparing ingredients for a meal.
First, cube the potatoes and boil them in salted water for ten minutes.
先把馬鈴薯切丁，放入鹽水中煮十分鐘。
pattern: cube + the + food_noun (recipe instruction)
The chef cubed the carrots and added them to the simmering soup.
主廚將紅蘿蔔切成小丁，放入正在滾煮的湯中。
Constanza cubed the ripe mango and tossed the pieces into the fruit salad.
Constanza 把成熟的芒果切丁，將果肉塊拌入水果沙拉中。
The recipe says to cube the bread and bake the pieces until they are golden.
食譜說要將麵包切丁，烤到金黃色為止。
- dice
very similar; 'dice' usually implies smaller pieces (about 0.5-1 cm), while 'cube' can be slightly larger
- cut into cubes
phrasal equivalent; more explicit about the shape
文法句型
cube + noun (food)
cube + noun + into + noun
用法筆記
Common in imperative form in recipes ('Cube the chicken'). The object must be a solid food item with enough structure to hold its shape — liquids or soft foods (e.g. yogurt, jam) do not work.
常見錯誤
2. to take a number and raise it to the third power by performing two self-multipli
立方
將某數自乘三次
to take a number and raise it to the third power by performing two self-multiplications in sequence.
Zola cubed 5 on her calculator and got 125, confirming that 5 × 5 × 5 equals 125.
Zola 用計算機算出了 5 的立方是 125，確認了 5 × 5 × 5 等於 125。
pattern: cube + number + get + result
To find the volume of a storage box that is a cube, measure one side and cube that length.
要計算一個立方體收納箱的體積，量出一個邊長，再將該長度立方。
real-world application: volume calculation
Hao cubed the side length of the packing crate and wrote the volume as 27 cubic centimetres.
Hao 將貨運木箱的邊長立方後，算出體積為 27 立方公分。
To finish the algebra problem, Emre cubed the value of x and then added five to get the final answer.
為了完成這道代數題，Emre 計算了 x 的立方，然後加五得出最後答案。
- raise to the third power
more formal phrasing; preferred in academic mathematical writing
- find the cube root
the inverse operation — you cube a number to get a result, or find the cube root to reverse it
文法句型
cube + number
cube + variable
用法筆記
Frequently appears in geometry and algebra problems involving volume. The object is always a number, variable, or measurement with a unit of length. The passive form is common ('the radius is cubed before multiplying by π').