Meaning
局面 refers to the overall situation, state of affairs, or state of play in a particular context. It emphasizes the configuration or pattern of circumstances at a given moment, often used when discussing politics, business, games, or any complex situation where multiple factors create an overall condition.
Usage
Commonly used in formal contexts like news, politics, business discussions, and strategic analysis. Native speakers use 局面 when describing how things stand currently, especially when that situation could shift or when someone is trying to control or change it. Often paired with verbs like 打开 (to open up), 控制 (to control), 改变 (to change), or 面对 (to face).
Examples
- 01我们必须尽快打开局面，否则会很被动。, .We must break the deadlock as soon as possible, otherwise we'll be in a passive position.
- 02目前的经济局面对小企业非常不利。.The current economic situation is very unfavorable for small businesses.
Characters
Measure words
- 个一个复杂的局面
Common collocations
- 打开局面to break the deadlock, open up the situation
- 控制局面to control the situation
- 改变局面to change the situation
- 面对局面to face the situation
Origin
局 originally referred to a game board or game situation (like in chess), while 面 means surface or aspect. Together they literally mean 'the face/surface of the game,' which extended metaphorically to mean the overall situation or state of affairs in any context.