contour

Compared meaning: outer form or outline (noun).

比较义项：外形；轮廓（名词）。

• shape

  The general, everyday word for an object's overall outer form (round, square, irregular, etc.); can describe almost anything, including clouds or abstract things.

  最常用、最通用的词，指物体的整体外形（圆形、方形、不规则形等），几乎可用于任何事物，包括云朵或抽象的东西。

  The cookie cutter stamped the dough into a heart shape.

  饼干模具把面团压成了心形。

• contour 本词

  A more technical, formal word for the outline or edge line of something, especially land, maps or the human body; often used as plural contours or with the word line.

  更专业、书面的词，指物体的轮廓线或边缘线，尤其用于地形、地图或人体曲线，常以复数 contours 或搭配 line 使用。

  Contour lines on the map show how steeply the mountain's slopes rise.

  地图上的等高线显示出山坡有多陡峭。

Shape and contour both describe the outer form of something. Shape is the common, general word for any object's outline, used every day. Contour is more formal and technical; it names the outline or edge line of something, especially land, maps, or the human body.

两词都表示物体的外部形态，但 shape 是最常用、最通用的词，可指任何物体的整体外形；contour 更书面、专业，特指物体的轮廓线或边缘线，尤其用于地形、地图或人体曲线。此处不比较 shape 表示「状态」（如 in good shape）或用作动词「塑造」的用法。