limbo
/ˈlɪmbəʊ/ (bre, ipa) · [lˈɪmbo] /ˈlɪmbəʊ/ (ame, ipa) · [lˈɪmbo] /ˈlim-(ˌ)bō How to pronounce limbo (audio)/ (ame, mw)
limbo — 名詞
- limbosingular
- limbosplural
1. a situation where progress stops because no decision has been made, so people mu
懸而未決
卡住且無法推進的處境
a situation where progress stops because no decision has been made, so people must wait without being able to control what happens next
Padma's visa application stayed in limbo for three months after the interview.
Padma 的簽證申請在面試後三個月都一直懸而未決。
stay in limbo while waiting for an official decision
The merger was left in limbo when the board suddenly changed its chair.
董事會突然更換主席後，這場合併案就懸而未決了。
leave something in limbo when a decision is delayed
After the storm, hundreds of families were in limbo without power or news.
暴風雨過後，數百個家庭在沒有電力也沒有消息的情況下陷入懸而未決的狀態。
Jude felt in limbo until the hospital called with his test results.
在醫院打電話通知檢驗結果之前，Jude 一直覺得事情懸而未決。
- uncertainty
broader and can describe only a feeling, while limbo stresses being stuck with no progress
- stalemate
suggests two sides blocking each other, not simply waiting for a decision
- suspension
sounds more official and usually refers to a formal pause ordered by someone
- resolution
a point where a decision is finally made and the delay ends
- certainty
the opposite state in which the outcome or next step is clear
文法句型
be in limbo
leave something in limbo
remain in limbo
用法筆記
This sense is usually used for cases that are waiting on a decision by an office, court, company, or other authority. Distinguish it from sense 3, which is about being ignored or forgotten rather than being stuck in a waiting process.
常見錯誤
2. a dance or party game in which people lean backward to pass under a bar that is
林波舞
向後仰身穿過橫桿的舞
a dance or party game in which people lean backward to pass under a bar that is lowered after each round
Ryo bent backward smoothly and won the school limbo contest.
Ryo 流暢地向後仰身，贏得了學校的林波舞比賽。
limbo contest with bending backward under a bar
At the beach party, Lara laughed as everyone tried the limbo together.
在海灘派對上，Lara 一邊笑，一邊看著大家一起跳林波舞。
do the limbo at a party
The music sped up while the children shuffled under the limbo bar.
音樂越來越快時，孩子們正從林波舞的橫桿下挪步穿過。
Benjamin pulled a muscle practicing the limbo before the carnival parade.
Benjamin 在嘉年華遊行前練習林波舞時拉傷了肌肉。
文法句型
do the limbo
limbo contest
limbo bar
用法筆記
This sense usually appears with verbs such as do, try, or win, or with nouns such as bar and contest. Unlike sense 1, it refers to a physical activity rather than a delayed situation.
常見錯誤
3. a state in which someone or something is left ignored, unused, or no longer reme
被遺忘
被忽視而無人處理的狀態
a state in which someone or something is left ignored, unused, or no longer remembered
After the election, the mayor's housing plan slipped into limbo and nobody mentioned it again.
選舉過後，市長的住宅計畫就被遺忘了，再也沒人提起。
slip into limbo when something stops receiving attention
Thousands of paper files sat in limbo inside the closed factory office.
成千上萬份紙本檔案被遺忘在那間已關閉的工廠辦公室裡。
Anong feared her grandfather's songs would vanish into limbo after his death.
Anong 擔心祖父的歌曲會在他過世後被遺忘。
The broken fountain remained in limbo behind the museum for years.
那座壞掉的噴水池多年來一直被遺忘在博物館後方。
- attention
active care or notice that keeps something from being forgotten
- recognition
public notice or value given to a person, work, or plan
文法句型
slip into limbo
fall into limbo
vanish into limbo
用法筆記
This sense is used when people stop paying attention to something and leave it forgotten or unused. Distinguish it from sense 1, where the problem is unresolved waiting rather than neglect.
4. in older Roman Catholic teaching, the place where children who died before bapti
靈薄獄
天主教所說未受洗幼兒之境
in older Roman Catholic teaching, the place where children who died before baptism were believed to stay
The monk explained limbo to the children during the church history class.
那位修士在教會歷史課上向孩子們解釋靈薄獄。
religious discussion of limbo in Catholic teaching
In the novel, the baby's soul waits in limbo outside heaven.
在那本小說裡，嬰兒的靈魂在天堂之外的靈薄獄等待。
Sivan asked whether older Catholic writers still spoke about limbo.
Sivan 問，較早期的天主教作家是否仍會談到靈薄獄。
The guide compared limbo with purgatory during the museum lecture.
導覽員在博物館講座中把靈薄獄和煉獄作了比較。
文法句型
believe in limbo
go to limbo
speak about limbo
用法筆記
This sense belongs to older Catholic theology and usually appears in religious or historical discussion. It is not the same as sense 1, which is the everyday figurative meaning about being stuck in uncertainty.