white elephant

英 [ˌwaɪt ˈelɪfənt]

美 [ˌwaɪt ˈelɪfənt]

n.  昂贵而无用之物

牛津词典

noun

• 昂贵而无用之物
  a thing that is useless and no longer needed, although it may have cost a lot of money
  1. The new office block has become an expensive white elephant.
     这座新办公大楼成了昂贵的摆设。

柯林斯词典

• N-COUNT 昂贵而无用的东西;华而不实的东西
  If you describe something as awhite elephant, you mean that it is a waste of money because it is completely useless.
  1. The pavilion has become a £4 million steel and glass white elephant.
     这个耗资400万英镑、用钢与玻璃所构筑起的亭子已经成了一个华而不实的摆设。

英英释义

noun

• albinic Indian elephant
• a valuable possession whose upkeep is excessively expensive

双语例句

• His newly employed woman servant was extremely lazy and ate a lot, no more than a white elephant.
  他新雇来的女佣人懒得出奇，饭量倒很大，真是一个无用而又累赘的东西。
• A motor-car would be a white elephant to him, because he can't drive it.
  摩托车对他一点用都没有，因为他不会驾驶。
• The car is a white elephant for me.
  这辆小汽车对我来说是无用之物。
• The angel figurine reminded me of the white elephant gift exchange game that we play every year.
  天使小雕像使我想起了我们每年都会玩的“白象礼物交换游戏”；
• I'll never buy a car, for it's only a white elephant to me.
  我决不买汽车，因为它对我只会是一个累赘。
• Did you see that gift she gave me? What should I do with this white elephant?
  你看到她送我的礼物了吗？这种小玩意儿我该怎么处理？
• A car is a white elephant forr me.
  对我而言，小汽车是个昂贵而无用的东西。
• The pavilion has become a £ 4 million steel and glass white elephant.
  这个耗资400万英镑、用钢与玻璃所构筑起的亭子已经成了一个华而不实的摆设。
• Now people in the West calk a useless thing "a white elephant".
  而现在西方人则把民用的人成为“白象”。
• Seeking the Hidden Iceberg& An Interpretation of Hills Like White Elephant from Pragmatic Perspective;
  探寻隐藏的冰山&语用学视角解读《白象似的群山》