tinderbox

/ˈtɪndəbɒks/ (bre, ipa) · [tˈɪndɚbˌɑks] /ˈtɪndərbɑːks/ (ame, ipa) · [tˈɪndɚbˌɑks] /ˈtin-dər-ˌbäks How to pronounce tinderbox (audio)/ (ame, mw)

tinderbox — 名詞

  • tinderboxsingular
  • tinderboxesplural

1. a place or situation where anger and tension have built up so much that any smal

1.名詞B2
釋義

火藥桶

隨時可能爆發衝突的危險局面

a place or situation where anger and tension have built up so much that any small event could cause violence or conflict to break out

例句

The disputed border remains a tinderbox where one clash could start a war.

這片爭議邊境地區仍是個火藥桶，一次衝突就可能引發戰爭。

figurative: a tinderbox = a place where violence may start at any moment

After the disputed election, the capital became a tinderbox of angry street protests.

爭議性的選舉過後，首都成了憤怒街頭抗議的火藥桶。

pattern: a tinderbox of + [tensions / unrest / protests]

同義詞
  • powder keg

    more dramatic and suggests a larger explosion; also figurative

  • flashpoint

    more specific — names the exact location or issue where violence starts

  • hotbed

    less violent; describes where something (often negative) develops actively, not necessarily explosive

反義詞
  • safe haven

    a place of safety and calm, the opposite of a dangerous situation

  • peaceful area

    a place where tensions are low and conflict is unlikely

文法句型

a tinderbox of [tensions / conflict / ethnic hatred]

用法筆記

Almost always used in the singular in figurative contexts. The noun that follows 'tinderbox of' names the source of tension — commonly ethnic hatred, political unrest, religious conflict, or nationalist anger.

常見錯誤

❌The city is a tinderbox of boxes and paper.
✅The city is a tinderbox of ethnic tensions.
💡The figurative sense describes a dangerous social or political situation, not a physical container.
❌The situation is very tinderbox.
✅The situation is a tinderbox.
💡Tinderbox is a noun, not an adjective.

2. a small metal or wooden container once used to hold dry material for starting a

2.名詞C1
釋義

火絨盒

舊時存放引火物的金屬或木質小盒

a small metal or wooden container once used to hold dry material for starting a fire, along with a flint and a piece of steel

例句

The museum display showed an old tinderbox with a flint and steel beside it.

博物館的展櫃中展示了一個舊火絨盒，旁邊放著打火石和鋼片。

literal meaning: historical fire-starting tool

Before matches were invented, people carried a tinderbox to start cooking fires.

在火柴發明之前，人們隨身攜帶火絨盒來生火做飯。

historical context: before the invention of matches

用法筆記

This literal sense is mainly used when discussing historical or pre-industrial fire-making methods. In modern contexts it is replaced by 'lighter', 'matches', or 'fire starter'.