chain of command
chain of command — 名詞
1. the system in an organization or group that shows who has the right to give inst
指揮鏈
組織中從上到下的權力層級
the system in an organization or group that shows who has the right to give instructions to whom, with the most senior person at the top and each level reporting to the level directly above
Nikhil reported a problem to his supervisor to send up the chain of command.
Nikhil 向主管報告了一個問題，讓它沿著指揮鏈往上傳遞。
collocation: travel up the chain of command
In the military, soldiers are trained to respect the chain of command without question.
在軍隊中，士兵受訓要毫無疑問地尊重指揮鏈。
collocation: respect the chain of command
In the hospital, the chain of command starts with staff nurses reporting to charge nurses.
在醫院裡，指揮鏈從基層護士向護理長報告開始。
A junior employee who skipped her manager was told to follow the chain of command.
一名越過直屬主管的基層員工被要求遵循指揮鏈。
In the emergency, the plant's chain of command broke down — nobody could stop the machines.
緊急狀況下，工廠的指揮鏈中斷了——沒有人能停下機器。
- hierarchy
broader term; can apply to any ranking system, including social classes or biological classifications
- command structure
more military-specific; focuses on the arrangement of authority rather than the rank order alone
- reporting line
more common in business settings; refers to the direct link between a person and their manager
用法筆記
Often used with verbs like 'follow', 'respect', 'go up/go down', and 'break'. The phrase describes a fixed reporting hierarchy, not a general flow of communication.