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📕 rednote ID(小红书号)：3881567312

Piece Meaning: Slice, Item, or Creative Work (3 meaning)

Meaning 1：a slice or portion (piece)

piece 🔊

/piːs/

A part that is broken or separated from something larger, like a slice of cake.

a slice or portion 🔊

➕

/ə slaɪs ɔːr ˈpɔːrʃən/

A part that is broken or cut from a larger whole, often referring to food or objects that can be divided.

📁 Category：Diet & Health 🔖 Level：beginner

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

From Old French 'piece', from Latin 'pettia', meaning a fragment or part.

💡 Mnemonic

Imagine cutting a pizza: each slice is a 'piece'. The letters p-i-e-c-e start with 'p' like 'part'.

📖 Example

Can I have a piece of your chocolate cake? It looks delicious. 🔊 Could I have a portion of your chocolate cake? It appears delicious.

🔗 Collocations

a piece of cake – something very easy to do

piece by piece – gradually, one part at a time

in one piece – undamaged, safe and whole

🔄 Synonyms

portion (n.) – a part or share of a whole, often measured or served

slice (n.) – a thin, flat piece cut from a larger object, especially food

segment (n.) – one of the parts into which something naturally divides

🚫 Antonyms

whole (n.) – the entire amount or object, not divided

entirety (n.) – the whole of something, all parts included

🌱 Derivatives

piecemeal (adv./adj.) –

piecework (n.) –

📖 Cultural Story

Piece derives from Latin 'pettia' meaning fragment. In Middle English, it referred to a part of a whole. Today it's ubiquitous in idioms like 'piece of cake' and 'in one piece'.

Meaning 2：a single item from a set (piece)

piece 🔊

/piːs/

One single item that is part of a set or group, like a cup from a tea set.

a single item from a set 🔊

➕

/ə ˈsɪŋɡəl ˈaɪtəm frəm ə set/

One individual object that belongs to a group or collection, often used with sets of dishes, furniture, or tools.

📁 Category：Objects & Materials 🔖 Level：beginner

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Example

I bought a beautiful tea set, but I accidentally broke one piece - the sugar bowl. 🔊 I purchased an elegant tea set, but unfortunately I broke one component—the sugar bowl.

🔗 Collocations

a piece of furniture – an item such as a table, chair, or cabinet

a chess piece – any of the movable figures used in chess

a piece of jewelry – an ornament such as a ring, necklace, or bracelet

🔄 Synonyms

component (n.) – a part that combines with others to form a whole system

element (n.) – a basic constituent part of a larger whole

item (n.) – an individual article or unit in a collection

🚫 Antonyms

set (n.) – a collection of items that belong together

collection (n.) – a group of things gathered together

Meaning 3：a creative work or composition (piece)

piece 🔊

/piːs/

Something that someone has created, like a song, painting, or article.

Painter finishing creative piece artwork

a creative work or composition 🔊

➕

/ə kriˈeɪtɪv wɜːrk ɔːr ˌkɑːmpəˈzɪʃən/

Something created by an artist, writer, musician, or composer, such as a painting, song, article, or sculpture.

📁 Category：Culture & History 🔖 Level：intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Example

The street musician played a moving piece of music he wrote himself. 🔊 The street performer played an emotional musical composition that he had authored himself.

🔗 Collocations

a piece of music – a musical composition or performance

a literary piece – a written work such as an essay, poem, or story

a sculptural piece – a three-dimensional artwork made by carving or modeling

🔄 Synonyms

work (n.) – a product of creative effort, such as a book, painting, or composition

creation (n.) – something produced through artistic or inventive skill

composition (n.) – a creative work, especially music or writing