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
- 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。 - Our appeal remained a dead letter.
我们的呼吁犹如石沉大海。 - After the proposal was put forward it simply remained a dead letter.
建议提出后，却如石沉大海。 - A dead person can't write a letter.
一个逝去的人是不会写信的。 - 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。 - This is a dead letter, so I can not deliver it.
这是一封盲信，我没有办法投递。 - 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。 - If the preferential agricultural policy implementation is not in place, and even to develop unreasonable, not timely introduction of preferential agricultural policy, is bound to make a dead letter.
如果惠农政策实施不到位，乃至制定不合理，出台不及时，则必然会使惠农政策成为一纸空文。 - 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。 - To reign in the late escape people basically disappeared, although the law did not escape were abolished, has lost its value and significance of its existence, become a dead letter.
到康熙中后期，逃人基本绝迹，逃人法虽未被废止，却失去了其存在价值和意义，成为一纸空文。