MTI备考必看 | 国际政治类文本常用短语（第4期）

字面意思：electrical device producing little brightness

本义例句：This low‑wattage bulb provides only dim soft light. 这颗低功率灯泡只能发出昏暗柔和的光。

引申含义：a political campaign lacking energy, visibility and public momentum

外刊例句：His low‑wattage campaign failed to win over enough undecided voters. 他这场声势微弱的竞选活动未能争取到足够多的摇摆选民。

常用搭配：run a low‑wattage campaign

适用场景：大选、党内竞选，候选人宣传力度不足

字面意思：an empty space devoid of physical matter

本义例句：Removing all air creates a power vacuum inside the sealed container. 抽走全部空气会在密封容器内部制造真空。

引申含义：situation where no effective governing authority exists after leadership collapse

外刊例句：The sudden collapse of the regime created a dangerous power vacuum across the territory. 政权骤然垮台，在全境造成危险的权力真空。

常用搭配：create / fill a power vacuum

适用场景：政权倒台、政变、战乱之后，治理权威缺失

字面意思：the opposite page of an accounting book for recording figures

本义例句：Profits are written on one page; losses sit on the other side of the ledger. 盈利记在账本这一页，亏损记在账本另一页。

引申含义：the contrasting downsides, costs or counter‑facts of a political choice

外刊例句：The diplomatic gains are clear, but we must examine the other side of the ledger. 外交收益显而易见，但我们必须审视这件事的另一面代价。

常用搭配：consider / examine the other side of the ledger

适用场景：政策利弊权衡，评估外交行动的代价与副作用

字面意思：have interior material dug or eaten away

本义例句：The old tree trunk was hollowed out by wood‑eating insects. 老树树干被蛀虫挖空。

引申含义：an institution, treaty or alliance loses real substance while keeping its name

外刊例句：Observers argue that the multilateral pact has been hollowed out by repeated violations. 观察人士认为，这份多边协定因屡遭违反已经被掏空实质、名存实亡。

常用搭配：be hollowed out by violations / political compromises

适用场景：条约、国际组织、同盟，形式保留但效力丧失

字面意思：a weighted swinging part inside a clock

本义例句：The political pendulum swings back and forth to keep clock time. 钟摆来回摆动，为钟表计时。

引申含义：shifts of public opinion and political power swinging between two opposite camps

外刊例句：The political pendulum has swung toward more conservative foreign‑policy positions. 政坛风向钟摆已经摆向更为保守的外交立场。

常用搭配：the political pendulum swings toward / away from

适用场景：大选轮换、民意转向，政策立场左右摇摆

字面意思：medical identification of an illness

本义例句：The doctor’s diagnosis showed that he suffered from mild fatigue. 医生的诊断显示他只是轻度疲劳。

引申含义：official or expert analysis identifying root causes of a political‑crisis

外刊例句：The think‑tank’s diagnosis points to poor governance as the source of regional unrest. 智库的研判报告指出治理失当是地区动荡的根源。

常用搭配：expert diagnosis of the crisis; offer a diagnosis

适用场景：危机报告、智库分析，剖析冲突根源

字面意思：add more beef to make a dish more substantial

本义例句：We beef up the stew by adding more sliced beef. 我们多加牛肉片，让炖菜分量更足。

引申含义：strengthen military forces, institutions or security arrangements

外刊例句：Nations agreed to beef up joint border monitoring against cross‑border risks. 各国同意强化联合边境监控，应对跨境风险。

常用搭配：beef up military forces / security mechanisms

适用场景：扩军、加强安保、强化多边合作机制

字面意思：tighten step‑by‑step with a ratchet mechanical gear

本义例句：Workers ratchet up the bolt little by little with a special tool. 工人用专用棘轮工具一点点拧紧螺栓。

引申含义：gradually increase sanctions, rhetoric or military pressure without easy rollback

外刊例句：The two sides continued to ratchet up sanctions amid the diplomatic deadlock. 外交僵局之下，双方持续步步加码制裁。

常用搭配：ratchet up sanctions / tensions / military pressure

适用场景：制裁加码、对抗升级，态势只升难降

字面意思：buried explosive mine triggered by physical contact

本义例句：Soldiers cleared a political landmine hidden in the field. 士兵清除埋在田野里的地雷。

引申含义：sensitive political subject likely to trigger huge controversy if touched

外刊例句：History‑related issues remain a political landmine in bilateral dialogue. 历史相关议题在双边对话中仍是一碰就炸的政治雷区。

常用搭配：step on / avoid a political landmine

适用场景：历史争议、民族宗教议题，外交谈判敏感点

字面意思：a long adventurous wandering journey

本义例句：The novel describes the hero’s ten‑year odyssey across the sea. 这部小说描写主人公长达十年的海上漂泊历险。

引申含义：long‑winded, tortuous political or diplomatic journey full of setbacks

外刊例句：The peace deal marked the end of a multiyear diplomatic odyssey. 这份和平协议标志着一段历时多年、曲折坎坷的外交历程画上句号。

常用搭配：a diplomatic / political odyssey

适用场景：漫长和谈、艰难斡旋，历经多次挫折