white elephant

英 [ˌwaɪt ˈelɪfənt]

美 [ˌwaɪt ˈelɪfənt]

n.  昂贵而无用之物

牛津词典

noun

• 昂贵而无用之物
  a thing that is useless and no longer needed, although it may have cost a lot of money
  1. The new office block has become an expensive white elephant.
     这座新办公大楼成了昂贵的摆设。

柯林斯词典

• N-COUNT 昂贵而无用的东西;华而不实的东西
  If you describe something as awhite elephant, you mean that it is a waste of money because it is completely useless.
  1. The pavilion has become a £4 million steel and glass white elephant.
     这个耗资400万英镑、用钢与玻璃所构筑起的亭子已经成了一个华而不实的摆设。

英英释义

noun

• albinic Indian elephant
• a valuable possession whose upkeep is excessively expensive

双语例句

• Did you see that gift she gave me? What should I do with this white elephant?
  你看到她送我的礼物了吗？这种小玩意儿我该怎么处理？
• The new opera house will be a white elephant: it is too small for proper opera productions, and no large opera company will want to use it.
  这座新剧场将是无用而赘的东西：演出大型歌剧，它太小了，所以没有一家歌剧团愿意用它。
• Not only that, due to clumsy government planning, when the sealink is finished it will be in danger of becoming a white elephant.
  不仅如此，由于政府笨拙的规划，当sealink大桥完工后，可能会成为白象那样的累赘之物。
• The boy showed no interest in music. The grand piano they had bought for him was nothing but a white elephant.
  那个男孩对音乐没有兴趣，他们为他买的大钢琴成了件多余的东西。
• The pavilion has become a £ 4 million steel and glass white elephant.
  这个耗资400万英镑、用钢与玻璃所构筑起的亭子已经成了一个华而不实的摆设。
• His collection of stamps came to the hammer yesterday There's a white elephant sale today.
  他的集邮品昨日被拍卖。今天有珍品要廉价拍卖。
• In Thailand and India, a white elephant is regarded as a sacred animal.
  在泰国和印度，白象被视为神圣的动物。
• The project was believed to be nothing but a white elephant.
  这个项目被认为只是一项沉重的负担。
• Who would have thought to meet a white elephant.
  谁会想到会遇到一头白象啊！
• A motor-car would be a white elephant to him, because he can't drive it.
  摩托车对他一点用都没有，因为他不会驾驶。