特别推荐：世界杯双语大观

住过集体宿舍的人大概都曾经为了躲避干活儿找过借口吧。躲来躲去，最后那任务可能还是会落到自己的身上，也不知道最开始那么耍赖躲着是为了什么。在英语里，这种状况是有名字的，叫做roommate chicken。

Roommate chicken refers to the condition where a group of people sharing a living space each avoid doing a household chore for an extended period because each believes it's someone else's responsibility. The idea is that eventually the situation will reach a critical mass where the guilty party will cave in and do the chore.

Roommate chicken（暂译为“室友耍赖游戏”）指的是这样一个状况：一群人共享一个居住空间，而在一段很长的时间里，每个人都躲着不做家务，因为大家都认为做家务是别人的事。到最后，实在忍受不下去的时候，自认有愧的一方会退一步，把家务都给做了。

Chicken is the name of a game, which is an influential model of conflict for two players in game theory. The principle of the game is that while each player prefers not to yield to the other, the outcome where neither player yields is the worst possible one for both players.

这里的chicken是一个游戏的名字，是游戏理论中对双方玩家很有影响力的一个游戏模式。这个游戏的原则是，虽然游戏双方都不愿意屈服于对方，但是双方都不认输的结局对两方玩家来说却是最糟糕的结局。

For example:

-"I'm not going to do the dishes. It's your turn."

我才不洗碗呢，该你了。

-"Yeah, but 90% of them are from the dinner you made for your girlfriend. I'm not cleaning up your mess."

是该我了，但是百分之九十的碗碟都是你给你女朋友做饭拿出来的。我才不给你收拾烂摊子呢。

-"I'm not playing roommate chicken with you on this. Clean it up!"

我没空跟你推来搡去。洗碗去！

-"I'll die before I clean your mess."

要我给你洗碗，除非我死了。

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（中国日报网英语点津 Helen 编辑）

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