comprise

Compared meaning: include or be made up of parts (verb).

比较义项：包含、由……构成（动词）。

• incorporate

  Incorporate stresses actively adding something new into an existing whole, often as a deliberate change; it collocates with "into" and fits plans, designs, or systems, not simple physical containers.

  incorporate强调主动把新内容纳入已有的整体，通常表示有意的改变；常与「into」搭配使用，适用于计划、设计或制度，而不是简单的实体容器。

  The company plans to incorporate new safety rules soon.

  这家公司计划很快将新的安全规定纳入其中。

• contain

  Contain is the plainest and most common of the three; it simply states what is inside something, whether a box, a document, or a mixture, with no sense of an active process.

  contain是三者中最平常、最常用的词，只是客观说明某物内部有什么，无论是箱子、文件还是混合物，并不带有主动进行某个过程的意味。

  This box can contain up to twenty small books.

  这个箱子最多能容纳二十本小书。

• comprise 本词

  Comprise is formal and always has the whole as its subject followed directly by the parts, describing composition; unlike incorporate, it does not suggest adding something new.

  comprise语气正式，主语总是整体，后面直接接组成部分，用来描述构成关系；与incorporate不同，它并不表示新增某物，常见于正式的描述性语句中。

  The committee will comprise five members from different departments.

  该委员会将由来自不同部门的五名成员组成。

Incorporate, contain, and comprise all mean to include or be made up of parts. Incorporate stresses adding something new into a whole. Contain is the plain, common word for what is inside. Comprise is formal: the whole is the subject, followed by its parts.

这三个词在该意义上都表示包含或由……构成，但侧重和正式程度不同：incorporate强调把新内容主动纳入整体，语气正式；contain只是客观说明里面有什么，是三者中最常用、语气最中性的词；comprise的主语是整体、后面直接接组成部分，多用于正式或书面场合，如描述委员会或系统的构成。这里不比较incorporate表示「注册成立（公司）」的意思，也不比较contain表示「克制（情绪）」的意思。

Compared meaning: to make up a whole (verb).

比较义项：构成，组成整体（动词）。

• constitute

  Constitute puts the PARTS as subject and the whole as object: the parts constitute the whole. It has a formal, analytical tone, common in essays, legal or statistical writing.

  constitute的主语是各个部分，宾语是整体：部分构成整体。语气正式，具有分析性，常见于论述文、法律文本或统计类描述中。

  These small choices constitute a major part of daily life.

  这些微小的选择构成了日常生活的重要部分。

• comprise 本词

  Comprise puts the WHOLE as subject and its parts as object: the whole comprises the parts. It is common in formal descriptions of groups, structures or compositions.

  comprise的主语是整体，宾语是各个部分：整体由部分构成。常用于对群体、结构或组成的正式描述中。

  The committee will comprise five members from different departments.

  该委员会将由来自不同部门的五名成员组成。

Constitute and comprise both mean to make up a whole, but their subject and object are reversed: parts constitute the whole, while the whole comprises the parts. This does not compare constitute's meaning 'to appoint someone'.

这两个词在“构成、组成整体”这个意义上很接近，但主语和宾语的方向正好相反：comprise的主语是整体、宾语是各部分，constitute的主语是各部分、宾语是整体，因此不能简单互换。这里不比较 constitute 的“任命”这一义项。