摘要：“dog eat dog”是英语中描绘竞争残酷性的经典习语，核心语义为“（环境或局面）充满残酷竞争，弱肉强食，人人为己”，强调在资源有限或规则缺失的场景中，个体或群体为生存、利益而展开的无情争夺，常暗含“道德约束失效”“不择手段”的意味。
dog eat dog
残酷无情的竞争；损人利己的角逐；相互残杀
“dog eat dog”是英语中描绘竞争残酷性的经典习语，核心语义为“（环境或局面）充满残酷竞争，弱肉强食，人人为己”，强调在资源有限或规则缺失的场景中，个体或群体为生存、利益而展开的无情争夺，常暗含“道德约束失效”“不择手段”的意味。
It is very much dog eat dog out there
那儿的竞争异常残酷。
I'm afraid in this line of work it's a case of dog eat dog.
恐怕在这种行业中竞争是残酷无情的。
In the chaos of war, it’s often dog eat dog.
在战争的混乱中，往往是弱肉强食的局面。
Getting into top universities has become a dog-eat-dog race.
进入顶尖大学已变成一场残酷的竞争。
International trade negotiations can turn into a dog-eat-dog battle.
国际贸易谈判可能演变成一场残酷的较量。
The dating scene in big cities can feel dog-eat-dog.
大城市的约会圈可能给人一种残酷竞争的感觉。
Politics can be a dog-eat-dog profession.
政治可能是个残酷竞争的行当。
The entertainment industry is notoriously dog-eat-dog.
娱乐圈以残酷竞争而闻名。
We're operating in a dog-eat-dog world.
我们是在一个残酷竞争的世界里立足。
The social elite’s circles can be surprisingly dog-eat-dog.
精英社交圈的竞争可能出奇地残酷。
When it comes to inheriting property, some families become dog-eat-dog.
涉及遗产继承时，有些家庭会陷入残酷的争斗。
The dating app scene can feel surprisingly dog-eat-dog—people ghost others in a second for someone ‘better’.
约会软件的世界可能出奇地残酷——人们会瞬间冷落他人，转而追求“更优秀”的对象。
In some tight-knit communities, finding a suitable partner can be a dog-eat-dog affair.
在一些关系紧密的社群中，找到合适的伴侣可能是一场残酷的竞争。
When two close friends fell for the same person, their friendship turned dog-eat-dog.
当两个好友爱上同一个人时，他们的友谊变得残酷起来，彼此针锋相对。
It’s a dog-eat-dog world out there in the business community.
商界是个弱肉强食的世界。
(dog-eat-dog形容词)
Greed, for lack of a better word, is good. It’s dog eat dog, rat eat rat, man eat man. 《华尔街》
贪婪，找不到更好的词形容，它是好东西。这是个狗咬狗、鼠吃鼠、人吃人的世界。
This business is dog eat dog, Jesse. You either kill or be killed. 《绝命毒师》
这行当就是弱肉强食，杰西。要么杀人，要么被杀。
The fashion industry is dog-eat-dog—you snooze, you lose. 《穿普拉达的女王》
时尚界是个弱肉强食的地方——稍有懈怠，就会被淘汰。
二、2021-2025年热门考试题目及参考答案
1. 2025年高考英语全国Ⅱ卷·阅读理解
- 原文语境：某科技公司内部因晋升机制不公，员工为争夺职位而相互拆台，文中用“dog eat dog”描述这一现象。
- 题目：“What does the phrase ‘dog eat dog’ imply about the company’s culture?”
- 参考答案：It implies a culture of ruthless competition where employees prioritize personal gain over teamwork.（暗示一种残酷的竞争文化，员工将个人利益置于团队合作之上。）
2. 2024年考研英语二·翻译
- 原文：“The job market has become increasingly dog-eat-dog, with candidates undercutting each other to secure even entry-level positions.”
- 题目：将画线部分译为汉语。
- 参考答案：就业市场的竞争变得越来越残酷，求职者们为了获得哪怕是入门级职位也不惜相互打压。
3. 2023年雅思写作（Task 2）
- 题目：“Some people think that modern society is becoming more dog-eat-dog. To what extent do you agree or disagree?”（有人认为现代社会正变得越来越弱肉强食。你在多大程度上同意或反对这一观点？）
- 参考答案：
I partially agree. In fields like business and technology, fierce competition for innovation and market share has created a dog-eat-dog environment, where companies often prioritize profits over ethical concerns. However, societal values like collaboration and empathy still prevail in areas such as education and community service, balancing the ruthlessness of competition. Thus, modern society is a mix of both cutthroat rivalry and collective cooperation.
（我部分同意这一观点。在商业和科技领域，对创新和市场份额的激烈争夺造就了弱肉强食的环境，企业往往将利润置于道德考量之上。然而，在教育和社区服务等领域，合作与同理心等社会价值观仍占主导，平衡了竞争的残酷性。因此，现代社会是残酷竞争与集体合作的混合体。）
4. 2022年托福口语（Task 4）
- 题目：解释“dog eat dog”的含义，并结合一个你观察到的例子说明。
- 参考答案：
“Dog eat dog” means a situation where people compete cruelly, only caring about their own interests. For example, in my high school, students competing for scholarships would hide study materials from each other, and even spread rumors to undermine rivals. This kind of behavior shows exactly what a dog-eat-dog environment is like—everyone tries to win at the expense of others.
（“Dog eat dog”指人们残酷竞争、只在乎自身利益的局面。比如在我的高中，竞争奖学金的学生会相互隐瞒学习资料，甚至散布谣言诋毁对手。这种行为恰恰体现了“弱肉强食”的环境——每个人都试图以牺牲他人为代价获胜。）
来源：翅膀英语一点号