Chinese Conversation · Level 71
90 words
Chinese word
冷战
Pronunciation
Pinyinlěng zhàn
Meaning
- nounsilent treatment
Example
他们最近在冷战，谁也不愿先说话。tā men zuì jìn zài lěng zhàn shuí yě bú yuàn xiān shuō huà
They have been giving each other the silent treatment lately, and neither wants to speak first.
More examples
要推动国际合作，就要打破冷战思维。yào tuī dòng guó jì hé zuò jiù yào dǎ pò lěng zhàn sī wéi
To promote international cooperation, we must break free from Cold War thinking.
Core concept
A tense standoff in which neither side openly attacks, but both use distance or pressure to maintain the conflict.
Common phrases
冷战格局lěng zhàn gé jú
Cold War framework
打破冷战思维dǎ pò lěng zhàn sī wéi
break free from Cold War thinking
冷战后lěng zhàn hòu
post-Cold War
Similar words
隔阂gé hé: A barrier of feeling and understanding that weakens connection between people.
冲突chōng tū: A serious disagreement in which opposing positions meet and cause a dispute.
争执zhēng zhí: A quarrel that arises when people disagree about what was said or claimed.
僵局jiāng jú: A deadlock in which progress stops and no change can be made.
Definition in Chinese
指人在感情或人际冲突中通过冷淡、不与对方说话或回避接触来表示不满、施压或抗议的状态；在国际关系中亦指国家间以非直接军事手段长期对峙的紧张局面。zhǐ rén zài gǎn qíng huò rén jì chōng tū zhōng tōng guò lěng dàn bù yǔ duì fāng shuō huà huò huí bì jiē chù lái biǎo shì bù mǎn shī yā huò kàng yì de zhuàng tài zài guó jì guān xì zhōng yì zhǐ guó jiā jiān yǐ fēi zhí jiē jūn shì shǒu duàn zhǎng qī duì zhì de jǐn zhāng jú miàn
Word origin
冷战 (lěngzhàn, "cold war") joins 冷 (lěng, "cold") and 战 (zhàn, "war") to name conflict conducted without open battle, a pattern also applied to strained personal relationships.
Usage tips
- The word often presents a relationship problem as a continuing situation rather than as one brief failure to speak, which helps distinguish it from ordinary quietness.
Other meanings
- cold warnoun
Opposites
- 合作hé zuòcooperationnoun
- 热战rè zhànhot warnoun
Related words
- 冷战格局lěng zhàn gé júCold War frameworknoun
- 冷战遗产lěng zhàn yí chǎnCold War legacynoun
- 冷战思维lěng zhàn sī wéiCold War thinkingnoun