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
- 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。 - A telephone call is dead as soon as it's over, but a letter can last forever.
电话一打完就结束了，而信件可以永久保存。 - 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。 - 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 key point in the property punishment is in the implementation. The property can not be executed is like a dead letter. While the main crux of the property punishment is that punishment is difficult to perform or not performed.
财产刑的关键在于执行，不能得到执行的财产刑判决无异于一纸空文，而财产刑的主要症结就在于难予执行或不执行。 - In addition, it is a good system will also need bodies to implement, or it amounted to a dead letter.
另外，再好的制度也需要人来贯彻执行，否则无异于一纸空文。 - 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。 - 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。 - The will itself is made a dead letter.
遗嘱本身成了一纸空文了。 - Our appeal remained a dead letter.
我们的呼吁犹如石沉大海。