冷战

• Pinyin: lěng zhàn
• Hanzi breakdown: 冷 = 冫(ice) + 令 (command); 战 = 占 (occupy) + 戈 (spear/weapon)

Meaning

The Cold War; also the 'silent treatment' — a state of mutual hostility expressed through tension and non-communication rather than open conflict.

In the historical sense, refers to the geopolitical stand-off between the USA and USSR from 1947 to 1991. In everyday colloquial use, 冷战 describes couples or family members who stop speaking as a form of emotional protest. Both senses are equally current in modern Chinese.

Examples

1. 冷战时期，两个超级大国展开了长达数十年的核军备竞赛。 During the Cold War, the two superpowers engaged in a nuclear arms race that lasted for decades.
2. 他们因一件小事吵架，此后整整三天没有说话，陷入冷战。 They argued over something minor, and then went a full three days without speaking, locked in a cold war.
3. 即使是最亲密的夫妻，也可能因沟通不畅而陷入漫长的冷战。 Even the closest couples can fall into a long cold war when communication breaks down.

Usage Guide

Context: history, politics, relationships, daily life

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 冷战的结束标志着一个时代的终结，也预示着新国际秩序的到来。(The end of the Cold War marked the close of an era and heralded the arrival of a new international order.)
• 他们吵架后闹了一周的冷战，最终还是由她先开口道歉。(After their argument they gave each other the silent treatment for a week — she was the first to break the silence with an apology.)

Don't Say

• 在描述激烈的面对面冲突时用冷战 — 冷战指通过沉默或疏远表达对立，而非公开争吵的热冲突

Origin & History

冷 (cold) + 战 (war/conflict) — coined as a political metaphor, then extended to interpersonal contexts

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal