stalemate
英 ['ste?lme?t]
美 ['stelmet]
- n. 僵局；陷于困境
- vt. 使僵持；使陷入困境
- vi. 僵持；陷入僵局
助記提示
1. So etymologically, when you reach stalemate in chess, you have to 'stand' or 'halt' where you are, going neither forward nor back.
2. stale + checkmate => stalemate.
3. in chess, from stale "stalemate" (early 15c.) + mate (n.2) "checkmate".
中文詞源
stalemate 僵局來自古義 stale,固定的，僵持的，mate,殺，將軍，詞源同 checkmate.引申比喻義僵局。
英文詞源
- stalemate
- stalemate: [18] Stalemate is a compound noun, based on the now obsolete stale ‘stalemate’. And this in turn was probably borrowed from Anglo- Norman estale ‘fixed position’, a derivative of Old French estaler ‘halt’, which also underlies English stale and stall. So etymologically, when you reach stalemate in chess, you have to ‘stand’ or ‘halt’ where you are, going neither forward nor back.
- stalemate (n.)
- 1765, in chess, from stale "stalemate" (early 15c.) + mate (n.2) "checkmate." Middle English stale is probably from Anglo-French estale "standstill" (see stall (n.2)). A misnomer, because a stale is not a mate. "In England from the 17th c. to the beginning of the 19th c. the player who received stalemate won the game" [OED]. Figurative sense is recorded from 1885. As a verb from 1765; figurative from 1861.
雙語例句
- 1. Efforts to break the stalemate in the peace talks continue.
- 打破和平談判僵局的努力仍在繼續.
來自《簡明英漢詞典》
- 2. Discussions are locked in stalemate.
- 討論陷于僵局.
來自《簡明英漢詞典》
- 3. The stalemate in the trade talks continues.
- 貿易談判的僵持仍在繼續.
來自《簡明英漢詞典》
- 4. The war was at a stalemate.
- 戰爭處于相持階段.
來自《現代漢英綜合大詞典》
- 5. The fight resulted in a stalemate.
- 戰斗形成對峙局面.
來自《現代漢英綜合大詞典》