dead position in chess; lost cause
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 4 examplesnoun
a dead position or piece in chess or Go; a hopeless situation; a lost cause
Originally a technical term from chess and Go (weiqi) referring to pieces or territory that cannot be saved. By extension, it describes any situation that is certain to fail or cannot be salvaged.
Bái白
qí棋
zài在
zhè这
yī一
dài带
chéng成
le了
sǐ死
qí棋
，
wú无
fǎ法
zuò做
huó活
le了
。
The white stones in this area have become dead and cannot be made to live.
Zhè这
pán盘
qí棋
zǒu走
dào到
zhè这
lǐ里
yǐ已
jīng经
shì是
sǐ死
qí棋
le了
，
rèn认
shū输
ba吧
。
This game is already a lost cause at this point; you might as well resign.
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Rú如
guǒ果
jì继
xù续
jiān坚
chí持
zhè这
zhǒng种
jīng经
yíng营
cè策
lüè略
，
duì对
gōng公
sī司
lái来
shuō说
jiù就
shì是
yī一
jú局
sǐ死
qí棋
。
If they continue to insist on this business strategy, it will be a hopeless situation for the company.
Tán谈
pàn判
xiàn陷
rù入
sǐ死
qí棋
，
shuāng双
fāng方
dōu都
bù不
kěn肯
ràng让
bù步
。
The negotiations have reached a stalemate, with neither side willing to compromise.