A sprinkling is a small amount of something spread thinly over an area, with gaps between the bits. Two uses.

A sprinkling is a small amount of somethingSprinkling是指某樣東西的一點點份量，spread thinly over an area薄薄地散布在一個範圍裡，with gaps between the bits東一點西一點之間有空隙。Two uses有兩種用法。

First the literal one, about small dry or liquid things: a sprinkling of salt on chips, a sprinkling of snow on the road, a sprinkling of sugar on top of a cake. The picture is always of separate little pieces landing here and there, not a thick layer — a sprinkling of snow is the kind you can still see the ground through.

First the literal one第一種是字面上的用法，about small dry or liquid things講的是乾的或濕的小東西：a sprinkling of salt on chips薯條上灑一點鹽，a sprinkling of snow on the road路上積一點雪，a sprinkling of sugar on top of a cake蛋糕上撒一點糖。The picture is always of separate little pieces landing here and there畫面永遠是一顆顆分開的小東西這裡一點那裡一點地落下，not a thick layer不是厚厚一層——a sprinkling of snow is the kind you can still see the ground througha sprinkling of snow指的是那種還看得到地面的雪。

Second, and just as common, the figurative one: a small number of people or things scattered among others. 'A sprinkling of tourists', 'a sprinkling of French words in his English'.

Second, and just as common, the figurative one第二種一樣常見，是比喻的用法：a small number of people or things scattered among others指散落在其他人事物中間、數量不多的人或東西。'A sprinkling of tourists'「a sprinkling of tourists零星幾個觀光客」，'a sprinkling of French words in his English'「a sprinkling of French words in his English他英文裡夾雜幾個法文字」。

Here it says both 'a few' and 'spread out, not in one group', which is more than 'a few' alone tells you. It nearly always comes as 'a sprinkling of…'.

Here it says both 'a few'這裡它同時說了「a few一點點」，and 'spread out, not in one group'和「spread out, not in one group分散開來、不是聚在一起」兩件事，which is more than 'a few' alone tells you比單講a few能告訴你的更多。It nearly always comes as 'a sprinkling of…'它幾乎都是以「a sprinkling of…」這種形式出現。

The word can also just be the -ing form of the verb sprinkle ('sprinkling cheese on the pasta'), so the meaning depends on whether an 'a' is standing in front of it.

The word can also just be the -ing form of the verb sprinkle這個字也可以只是動詞sprinkle的-ing形式（'sprinkling cheese on the pasta''sprinkling cheese on the pasta'義大利麵上灑起司），so the meaning depends on whether an 'a' is standing in front of it所以意思要看前面有沒有站著一個「a」。