象牙塔 (xiàng yá tǎ) — ivory tower (metaphor for academic seclusion or detachment from real-world issues)
Definition
A metaphor borrowed from English ('ivory tower'): academic or intellectual life seen as isolated from real-world concerns, often used critically.
noun
ivory tower (metaphor for academic seclusion or detachment from real-world issues)
Examples
- 象牙塔。Shēng huó zài xiàng yá tǎ lǐ de xué zhě yǒu shí huì hū lüè shè huì de zhēn shí xū qiú.Scholars living in an ivory tower sometimes overlook the real needs of society.
- 象牙塔,。Tā jué dìng zǒu chū xiàng yá tǎ, dào jī céng qù liǎo jiě shí jì qíng kuàng.He decided to step out of the ivory tower and go to the grassroots to understand the actual situation.
- 象牙塔。Zhè piān shè lùn pī píng le gāo děng jiào yù zhōng de xiàng yá tǎ qīng xiàng.This editorial criticized the ivory-tower tendencies in higher education.
Appears in
Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.