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僵局 (jiāng jú) — impasse; deadlock

Definition

A deadlock specifically in negotiations, talks, or conflicts — neither side can move forward. Narrower than 困境, which is any difficult situation, not a standoff.

noun
impassedeadlock

Examples

  • 僵局，。
    Tán pàn xiàn rù le jiāng jú, shuāng fāng dōu bù kěn ràng bù.
    The negotiations have reached an impasse, with neither side willing to compromise.
  • 僵局。
    Wǒ men dé xiǎng bàn fǎ dǎ pò zhè ge jiāng jú.
    We need to find a way to break this deadlock.
  • 僵局。
    Tā men zhī jiān de jiāng jú chí xù le jǐ gè yuè.
    The deadlock between them lasted for several months.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

僵jiāngstiff
局júsituation

“僵” suggests stiff or frozen, and “局” is a situation, together forming an impasse.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 僵 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
尸尸shī
Sound part声符shēngfú
句
句jù局jú
Same sound today

The shape of 局 pairs 尸, a meaning part, with 句, a sound part.

Open 局 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Abstract ConceptsConflict & Agreement

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