chain

noun

OPAL WOPAL S

/tʃeɪn/

Idioms

metal rings金属链

enlarge image

[countable, uncountable] a series of connected metal rings, used for pulling or fastening things; a length of chain used for a particular purpose链子；链条；锁链

She wore a heavy gold chain around her neck.她戴着一条粗实的金项链。
The mayor wore his chain of office.市长佩戴着标志他职务的链徽。
a bicycle chain自行车链条
in chains The prisoners were kept in chains (= with chains around their arms and legs, to prevent them from escaping).囚犯戴着镣铐。
on a chain They kept the dog on a chain all day long.他们整天都用链子拴着狗。
a short length of chain一截短链条

connected things相关连的事

[countable] a series of connected things or people一系列，一连串（人或事）

mountain/island chains山脉；岛群
Volunteers formed a human chain (= line of people) to rescue precious items from the burning house.志愿者排成一条长龙，从着火的房子里手传手把贵重物品抢救出来。
chain of somebody/something to set in motion a chain of events触发一连串的事件
a chain of command (= a system in an organization by which instructions are passed from one person to another)指挥系统
Our suppliers are the weakest link in the chain.我们的供货商是链条上最薄弱的环节。

see also daisy chain, food chain, supply chain

Volunteers formed a human chain to pass buckets of water to each other.志愿者排成一条长龙，逐个把水桶传过去。
She was personally involved in this chain of events.她亲自参与了这一系列事件。
It's important to make sure the chain of communication is not broken.重要的是要确保沟通链没有断裂。
If any part of the chain of infection is broken, the spread of the disease will be stopped.如果感染链的任何一部分被打破，疾病的传播将被阻止。
I was next in the chain of command.我处在指挥系统的下一级。
the complex chain of events that led to the war导致那场战争的一系列错综复杂的事件
Middlemen are important links in the chain.中间人是关系链中的重要环节。
There has been an unbroken chain of great violinists in the family.这个家族每一代都有伟大的小提琴家。
The people formed a human chain to pass the supplies up the beach.人们排成一列把供给品送上岸。
a chain of volcanic islands一个火山岛群

Collocations Dictionaryadjective

long
complex
unbroken
…

verb + chain

break

chain + noun

reaction
letter

phrases

a chain of command
a chain of events

of shops/hotels商店；旅馆

[countable] a group of shops or hotels owned by the same company连锁商店（或旅馆）

a supermarket/hotel/retail chain超市/酒店/零售连锁店
chain of something a chain of stores/shops/restaurants连锁商店/商店/餐馆

a chain of department stores连锁百货店
a chain of clothes shops连锁服装店
This hotel is part of a large chain.这家酒店是大型连锁店的一部份。

Topics Shoppingb1

Collocations Dictionaryadjective

big
large
major
…

chain + noun

store

preposition

chain of

phrases

part of a chain

restriction限制

[countable, usually plural] (formal or literary) a thing that limits somebody’s freedom or ability to do something约束；束缚

the chains of fear/misery恐惧的桎梏；苦难的枷锁

in house buying购房

[countable, usually singular] (British English) a situation in which a number of people selling and buying houses must each complete the sale of their house before buying from the next person连环式（指一群房主先售后购的置业方式）Topics Houses and homesc2

词源Middle English: from Old French chaine, chaeine, from Latin catena ‘a chain’.

Idioms

a ball and chain

a problem that prevents you from doing what you would like to do羁绊；障碍
- The responsibility was a ball and chain around my ankle.这项责任对我来说是一种束缚。

a link in the chain

one of the stages in a process or a line of argument链条中的一个环节；整个过程中的一个阶段
- Food production, processing and marketing are different links in the chain from farmer to consumer.食品生产、加工和销售是从农民到消费者的不同环节。
- Death is the last link in the chain.死亡是链条的最后一环。
Topics Opinion and argumentc2

the weak link (in the chain)

the point at which a system or an organization is most likely to fail薄弱环节
- She went straight for the one weak link in the chain of his argument.她迳直攻击他的论点中的一个薄弱环节。
Topics Difficulty and failurec2

chain

verb

/tʃeɪn/

[often passive]

动词形式

present simple I / you / we / they chain	/tʃeɪn/ /tʃeɪn/
he / she / it chains	/tʃeɪnz/ /tʃeɪnz/
past simple chained	/tʃeɪnd/ /tʃeɪnd/
past participle chained	/tʃeɪnd/ /tʃeɪnd/
-ing form chaining	/ˈtʃeɪnɪŋ/ /ˈtʃeɪnɪŋ/

to fasten something with a chain; to fasten somebody/something to another person or thing with a chain, so that they do not escape or get stolen用锁链拴住（或束缚、固定）
- chain somebody/something The doors were always locked and chained.那些门总是上着锁链。
- He maintained that the convicts working on the roads were never chained.他坚持认为在路上工作的罪犯从来没有被拴住。
- He was beaten in his cell while in handcuffs and with his legs chained.他在牢房里被带着手铐和脚镣殴打。
- chain somebody/something up The dog was chained up for the night.夜间那条狗用链子拴起来。
- She took the old man out into the yard and chained him up.她把老人带到院子里，用链子把他锁起来。
- chain somebody/something to somebody/something She chained her bicycle to the gate.她用链子把自行车锁在大门上。
- Four activists chained themselves to construction equipment.四名活动人士将自己锁在建筑设备上。
- (figurative) I've been chained to my desk all week (= because there was so much work).我整个星期都在伏案工作，脱不开身。
- chain somebody/something together The detainees were chained together in groups of two or three.被拘留者被两三人一组锁在一起。
- With their wrists chained together they were led out to the waiting vehicles.他们的手腕被铐在一起，被带到等候的车辆那里。
词源Middle English: from Old French chaine, chaeine, from Latin catena ‘a chain’.