- 1小規模的、小型的（中性描述規模，不含貶意）
Involving only a small number of things, a small amount of money, or a small area. It describes the size of an operation, not the size of an object. A small-scale farm, a small-scale study, a small-scale experiment, small-scale fighting near the border.
The important thing is that it is neutral. "Small-scale" does not mean poor or — it just tells you the size of what is being done. A small-scale business can be excellent; a small-scale trial can be exactly the right first step. Compare it with "petty" or "minor", which do carry judgement.
Its partner is "large-scale", and the pair is very common in reports, news, and academic writing. Because they come in a pair, they are often used to contrast: "small-scale farmers" against "large-scale agriculture", where the phrase quietly does political work — the small ones are the many, the local, the ones at risk.
There is a second, more technical use with models and maps, where "scale" means how much the real thing has been shrunk down. That use follows different logic and confuses even native speakers, so leave it for later.
「small-scale」描述的是規模小，只牽涉少數的東西、少量的錢，或小範圍的地區。它說的是做事的規模，不是東西本身的大小，所以 「a small-scale farm」（小型農場）、「a small-scale study」（小規模研究），講的都是事情的範圍。
這個字是中性的，不代表差或不重要。例如 「a small-scale business can be excellent」（小規模的生意也可以很出色）。它不像 petty 或 minor 那樣帶有評價。它常跟 「large-scale」 成對使用，兩者對照時，多見於報告、新聞和學術寫作，例如 「small-scale farmers」對上 「large-scale agriculture」（小農對上大規模農業），語氣裡就多了小農、地方、容易受影響那一方的意思。
From the word’s history
small + scale.
由 small 加 scale 組成。
組成small（小）+ scale（規模、範圍）。scale 在這裡是「事情做多大」的那個規模，不是磅秤，也不是魚鱗。相對詞是 large-scale。
同家族的字
- large-scalesame scale compound, the opposite size
- full-scalesame scale compound, meaning at complete size or intensity
原始詞典資料3 筆記錄
以下是外部詞典記錄的用法，摘錄並精簡格式，我們還沒有寫成教學內容。上面的說明才是我們自己寫的；有些用法可能上面已經講過了。
small-scaleadj
- 1
Concerning a lower order of magnitude rather than a higher one.
- small-scale aspects of fluid dynamics
- 2
Having a modest scope or extent.
- small-scale business operations
- 3
Drawn or constructed at a small size (at low scale), without much detail.
- a small-scale inset orienting the viewer, implying "you are here"
摘錄自 英文維基詞典 English Wiktionary，已精簡格式；依 CC BY-SA 4.0 授權使用，改動後的內容同樣以此授權提供。