How do you use "The elephant in the room" in a sentence?

Let's address the elephant in the room — we're over budget by fifty percent. Nobody wanted to mention the elephant in the room, so the meeting just danced around the real issue. His drinking was the elephant in the room at every family gathering.

The elephant in the room

American Slang Term American ★★★★★ Very Common Neutral

Practica con tarjetas, cuestionarios y audio en WordLoci →

Significado: An obvious problem or uncomfortable truth that everyone is aware of but nobody wants to address.

人人都心知肚明但没人愿意提起的明显问题或令人不安的事实。

Un problema evidente o una verdad incómoda de la que todos son conscientes pero nadie quiere hablar.

誰もが気づいているのに、誰も触れたがらない明らかな問題や不都合な真実。

모두가 알고 있지만 아무도 언급하고 싶어 하지 않는 명백한 문제나 불편한 진실.

Used when there's a big, obvious issue that people are deliberately avoiding. Whether it's a family secret at Thanksgiving, an obvious budget problem at work, or political tension in a social group, the elephant in the room is too big to miss but too awkward to mention.

用在存在一个很大、很明显的问题而人们却刻意回避的时候。无论是感恩节上的家族秘密、工作中显而易见的预算问题，还是社交圈中的政治紧张关系，'房间里的大象'大到不可能被忽视，但又尴尬到没人愿意开口。

Se usa cuando hay un problema grande y evidente que la gente evita deliberadamente. Ya sea un secreto familiar en la cena de Acción de Gracias, un problema presupuestario obvio en el trabajo o tensión política en un grupo social, el elefante en la habitación es demasiado grande para no verlo pero demasiado incómodo para mencionarlo.

人々が意図的に避けている大きくて明白な問題があるときに使う。感謝祭での家族の秘密、職場の明らかな予算問題、社会的グループ内の政治的緊張——elephant in the roomは見逃すには大きすぎるが、言及するには気まずすぎる問題のこと。

사람들이 의도적으로 회피하는 크고 명백한 문제가 있을 때 사용한다. 추수감사절의 가족 비밀이든, 직장의 명백한 예산 문제이든, 사회적 모임의 정치적 긴장이든, 방 안의 코끼리는 누가 봐도 너무 크지만 말하기 어색한 것이다.

Ejemplos

Let's address the elephant in the room — we're over budget by fifty percent.
我们来面对这个大家都回避的问题吧——预算超支了百分之五十。
Abordemos el elefante en la habitación: nos hemos pasado del presupuesto un cincuenta por ciento.
みんなが避けている問題に向き合おう——予算が50パーセントもオーバーしてるんだ。
모두가 피하는 문제에 직면하자 — 예산이 50퍼센트나 초과됐어.
Nobody wanted to mention the elephant in the room, so the meeting just danced around the real issue.
没人愿意提那个明摆着的问题，所以会议一直在回避核心议题。
Nadie quiso mencionar el tema tabú, así que la reunión se limitó a esquivar el verdadero problema.
誰もその問題に触れたがらなかったので、会議は核心を避けたまま終わった。
아무도 그 문제를 언급하고 싶어 하지 않아서, 회의는 핵심을 비켜간 채 끝났다.
His drinking was the elephant in the room at every family gathering.
每次家庭聚会，他的酗酒问题都是大家心照不宣却谁也不提的事。
Su problema con la bebida era el gran tema del que nadie hablaba en cada reunión familiar.
家族の集まりのたびに、彼の飲酒問題が誰も触れない大きな問題だった。
가족 모임 때마다 그의 음주 문제가 아무도 말하지 않는 커다란 코끼리였다.

Pronunciación

Guía de uso

Contexto: meetings, family, awkward situations

Tono: frank, courageous

✓ Correcto

Let's address the elephant in the room.
我们来面对这个大家都在回避的问题吧。
Hablemos del elefante en la habitación.
みんなが避けている問題に向き合おう。（Let's address the elephant in the room.）
방 안의 코끼리를 직면하자.
The elephant in the room is...
房间里的大象就是……
El elefante en la habitación es...
誰も触れない問題は…（The elephant in the room is...）
방 안의 코끼리는...

✗ Incorrecto

Calling something the elephant in the room when it's actually a minor issue is melodramatic
把一个其实很小的问题称为'房间里的大象'会显得小题大做
Llamar a algo el elefante en la habitación cuando en realidad es un problema menor resulta melodramático
些細な問題をelephant in the roomと呼ぶのは大げさすぎる
사소한 문제를 '방 안의 코끼리'라고 부르면 과장된 것이다

Origen e historia

First appears in a 1959 New York Times editorial. The vivid image of an elephant being impossible to ignore in a room — yet everyone pretending it's not there — made it an instant hit in American English, especially in journalism and politics.

Contexto cultural

Era: 1959-present

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal

Más de este tema

The American Dream ★★★★★ The ideal that every person has the opportunity to achiev... Pull yourself up by your bootstraps ★★★★★ To improve your situation through your own effort, withou... Hit it out of the park ★★★★★ To do something exceptionally well; to greatly exceed exp... Bite the bullet ★★★★★ To endure a painful or difficult situation with courage; ... Cold turkey ★★★★★ To abruptly stop a habit or addiction without gradually r... Not my cup of tea ★★★★★ Not something one enjoys or is interested in; not to one'...