dilemma
英 [d?'lem?; da?-]
美 [d??lem?]
助記提示
分析：di——“低”的拼音；le——“了”的拼音；m——“馬”的拼音首字母；
ma——“麻”的拼音。
記憶：如果低估了困境，馬上就會遇到麻煩。
1. di- "two" + lemma (諧音“勒馬”) => 兩邊都得被迫把馬勒住，因為兩邊兒都沒法通過了，所以就“進退兩難、進退維谷”了。
中文詞源
dilemma 兩難，窘境di-, 二。-lemma, 拿，承載，詞源同lemma, epilepsy.即兩邊考慮的，引申詞義窘境，兩難。
英文詞源
- dilemma
- dilemma: [16] Dilemma was originally a technical term in rhetoric, denoting a form of argument in which one’s opponent is faced with a choice of two unfavourable alternatives. It comes via Latin dilemma from Greek dilēmma, a compound formed from di- ‘two’ and lēmma ‘proposition, premise’. (Lēmma itself, which English acquired in the 16th century, came ultimately from *lab-, the base of Greek lambánein ‘talk’.) The ‘looser’ general sense ‘choice between unpleasant alternatives’ developed in the late 16th century.
- dilemma (n.)
- 1520s, from Late Latin dilemma, from Greek dilemma "double proposition," a technical term in rhetoric, from di- "two" + lemma "premise, anything received or taken," from root of lambanein "to take" (see analemma). It should be used only of situations where someone is forced to choose between two alternatives, both unfavorable to him. But even logicians disagree on whether certain situations are dilemmas or mere syllogisms.
雙語例句
- 1. Public policy on the family presents liberals with a dilemma.
- 有關家庭的公共政策使自由主義者陷入了進退兩難的境地。
來自柯林斯例句
- 2. I didn't have a ready answer for this dilemma.
- 我沒有想出解決這個困境的現成答案。
來自柯林斯例句
- 3. to face a dilemma
- 面臨左右為難的困境
來自《權威詞典》
- 4. I am on the horns of a dilemma about the matter.
- 這件事使我進退兩難.
來自《簡明英漢詞典》
- 5. They try to find a way out of their dilemma.
- 他們試圖擺脫困境.
來自《現代漢英綜合大詞典》