"powder keg" in Chinese (Simplified)

• 火药桶
• 危险局势

Definition

“火药桶”形容一种很紧张或不稳定、随时可能变得危险或爆发冲突的局势。最初指的是装满火药的桶。

Usage Notes (Chinese (Simplified))

多用于比喻，非常紧张或危险的社会、政治等环境，经常出现在新闻中，如“这个地区是个火药桶”。不能用在小冲突上，暗含随时爆发风险。

Examples

The border area became a powder keg after weeks of protests.

边境地区在连续几周抗议后变成了一个**火药桶**。

That meeting was a powder keg—everyone was angry.

那次会议就是个**火药桶**——每个人都很生气。

This classroom is a powder keg before exams.

考前这间教室就像个**火药桶**。

After the power outage, the city felt like a powder keg ready to explode.

停电后，这座城市仿佛是个随时要爆炸的**火药桶**。

With tensions so high, just one small incident could turn the place into a powder keg.

在气氛高度紧张时，哪怕一个小事件都能让这个地方变成**火药桶**。

Everyone was so on edge, you could tell it was a real powder keg situation.

大家都很紧张，显然真的是个**火药桶**的局势。