字面意为“坐(某事的)后排座位”,引申为:相对于某事物退居次要位置;让位于某事物;对某事而言不再是优先考虑的对象。
强调“优先级降低”——原本重要的人/事,因另一件更重要的事而被放到次要位置。
1、 结构:主语(人/事物/抽象概念)+ take/takes/took a back seat to + 比较对象(名词/代词)
2、 关键:"to" 引出“更优先的对象”,即“主语”让位于“to后的内容”。
3、 场景:可用于个人生活、工作、社会发展、价值观等多种语境,口语和书面语均常用。
通过不同场景的例子,帮你快速掌握:
In his life, work always takes a back seat to his family.
(在他的生活中,工作永远让位于家庭。)
→ 家庭比工作更重要。
For me, socializing takes a back seat to studying during exam week.
(考试周时,对我来说社交让位于学习。)
→ 学习是当前优先项,社交暂时不重要。
After being promoted to manager, she decided her personal tasks would take a back seat to mentoring her team.
(晋升经理后,她决定个人任务要让位于指导团队。)
→ 管理团队比自己做具体任务更优先。
His ambition to be the star took a back seat to the team’s success.
(他想当“明星”的野心让位于团队的成功。)
→ 团队利益>个人表现。
Traditional retail has had to take a back seat to e-commerce in recent years.
(近年来,传统零售业不得不让位于电子商务。)
→ 电商成为更主流的模式。
Environmental protection should never take a back seat to economic growth.
(环境保护绝不能让位于经济增长。)
→ 呼吁重视环保,不要因发展经济忽略环境。
Her fear of failure took a back seat to her desire to try new things.
(对失败的恐惧让位于她尝试新事物的渴望。)
→ 渴望尝试>恐惧。
In times of crisis, politics often takes a back seat to human needs.
(危机时刻,政治往往让位于人的需求。)
→ 民生>政治。
若省略"to sth.",则表示“退居二线;不再主导;让别人负责”(不明确比较对象,强调“自己减少参与”):
He decided to take a back seat and let his daughter run the business.
(他决定退居二线,让女儿经营生意。)
"take a back seat to sth." 是一个表达“优先级排序”的高频习语,核心是“主语让位于to后的对象”。记住它的结构和场景,就能灵活用于日常交流或写作中~