olive branch
olive branch — 名詞
1. a small branch taken from an olive tree, used in ancient times and still today a
橄欖枝
象徵和平的橄欖樹枝
a small branch taken from an olive tree, used in ancient times and still today as a sign of peace, friendship, or victory.
The ancient Greek athletes carried an olive branch as a sign of victory and peace.
古希臘運動員手持橄欖枝，作為勝利與和平的象徵。
olive branch as a sign of [concept]
Min saw a dried olive branch used in a ceremony over two thousand years ago.
Min 看到一根乾燥的橄欖枝，是兩千多年前在一場儀式中使用過的。
countable: a dried olive branch
A white dove holding an olive branch appears on many flags and posters for peace.
一隻銜著橄欖枝的白鴿出現在許多和平旗幟與海報上。
The artist painted a dove with an olive branch above the leaders shaking hands.
畫家在握手致意的領袖上方畫了一隻銜著橄欖枝的鴿子。
Tunde placed an olive branch on the welcome table as a traditional symbol of goodwill.
Tunde 在迎賓桌上擺了一根橄欖枝，作為傳統的友誼象徵。
文法句型
olive branch + of + [quality]
用法筆記
This sense refers to the actual tree branch. The figurative meaning (a peace offering) is far more common in modern everyday English.
常見錯誤
olive branch — 慣用語
1. an action, offer, or statement made to show that you want to stop arguing or fig
和解表示
表示願意結束爭端
an action, offer, or statement made to show that you want to stop arguing or fighting with someone and start a friendly relationship again.
Gabriel extended an olive branch to his sister by inviting her to lunch.
Gabriel 邀請妹妹共進午餐，向她遞出了和解的橄欖枝。
extend an olive branch to [person]
The union offered an olive branch to the company by agreeing to delay the strike.
工會同意延後罷工，向公司遞出了橄欖枝。
offer an olive branch to [organisation]
Diya saw the apology note as an olive branch and decided to forgive her roommate.
Diya 把道歉紙條視為和解的橄欖枝，決定原諒她的室友。
The neighbours held out an olive branch by returning their dog after years of conflict.
鄰居歸還了他們的狗，在多年惡劣關係後伸出了橄欖枝。
Sirin accepted the invitation as a genuine olive branch and met her old friend.
Sirin 接受那封邀請是誠意的和解表示，與老友見了面。
- peace offering
more direct and less metaphorical; roughly interchangeable
- gesture of goodwill
more formal, broader in meaning
- conciliatory gesture
formal register, often used in business or political contexts
- hand of friendship
idiomatic, emphasises relationship over conflict resolution
- provocation
an action meant to anger rather than to make peace
- ultimatum
a final demand with threats, opposite of a peace offering
文法句型
extend/offer/hold out + an olive branch + to + [person]
用法筆記
Commonly used with the verbs *extend*, *offer*, *hold out*, and *accept*. The phrase nearly always refers to improving a relationship — not to an actual tree branch.