dead letter
英 [ˌded ˈletə(r)]
美 [ˌded ˈletər]
n. 无人遵守的法律; 形同虚设的规定; 空文; 死信; 无法投递(或退回)的邮件
牛津词典
noun
- 无人遵守的法律；形同虚设的规定；空文
a law or an agreement that still exists but that is ignored - 死信；无法投递（或退回）的邮件
a letter that cannot be delivered to an address or to the person who sent it
柯林斯词典
- N-COUNT 形同虚设的法律（或协议）；空文
If you say that a law or agreement is adead letter, you mean that it still exists but people ignore it.- No one does anything about it and the law becomes a dead letter.
没有人执行它，该法律变成了一纸空文。
- No one does anything about it and the law becomes a dead letter.
英英释义
noun
- mail that can neither be delivered nor returned
- the state of something that has outlived its relevance
双语例句
- It is regrettable that our appeal remains a dead letter.
遗憾的是，我们的呼吁没有得到响应。 - Rules and regulations, once set up, should not be turned into a dead letter. related to or involving literary fiction.
规章制度一经订立，不应成为一纸虚文。与文学虚构有关，或包含文学虚构。 - It also forbade exchange rate manipulation but the term was never coherently defined and the relevant provision became a dead letter.
它也禁止汇率操纵，但这个术语从未得到过一致的定义，相关条款成为一纸空文。 - The dispute between two countries was unavoidable because of its own deficiencies of the treaty, and the treaty became a dead letter.
由于禁酒条约自身的缺陷，两国难以避免地出现纠纷，禁酒条约也沦为一纸空文。 - Our appeal remained a dead letter.
我们的呼吁犹如石沉大海。 - A dead person can't write a letter.
一个逝去的人是不会写信的。 - Articles of association should be a place where the investors compete for their interest and regulate the orders of the company rather than a dead letter.
公司章程不应再是一纸空文，而应当是投资者争取投资利益，规范公司管理秩序的战场。 - Rules and regulations, once set up, should not be turned into a dead letter.
规章制度一经订立，不应成为一纸虚文。 - This is a dead letter, so I can not deliver it.
这是一封盲信，我没有办法投递。 - Without sound implementation, even a perfect law would be nothing more than a dead letter.
制定再完美的法律，如果不能得到很好的实施，也无异于一纸空文。