摘要：字面义（暴力场景）：“拿枪指着某人的头”，特指物理层面“用枪支抵住他人头部，以暴力威胁其生命安全”，如:

hold/put a gun to sb's head核心语义分两层，且比喻义为日常及考试核心：

1. 字面义（暴力场景）：“拿枪指着某人的头”，特指物理层面“用枪支抵住他人头部，以暴力威胁其生命安全”，如:

The robber held a gun to the clerk’s head.

劫匪拿枪指着店员的头。

She is, figuratively speaking, holding a gun to his head.

打个比方说，她正拿枪对着他的脑袋。

The enemy soldier held a gun to the scout’s head to make him reveal the army’s position.

敌军士兵拿枪指着侦察兵的头，强迫他说出部队的位置。

2. 比喻义（非暴力，高频）：“用极端威胁手段强迫某人做某事，使对方别无选择，威胁某人；胁迫某人就范”，特指“通过施压（如威胁利益、关系、前途等）让他人不得不妥协，完全丧失拒绝的余地”，隐含“威胁程度极强，对方只能顺从”的语气。如：

A good teacher will never hold a gun to a student’s head to choose a major—they’ll guide instead of forcing.

好老师绝不会强迫学生选专业，他们会引导而非施压。

He didn’t hold a gun to my head to make me join the competition; I did it voluntarily.（2022年全国高考英语乙卷）

他并没有强迫我参加这个比赛，我是自愿的。

She said he held a gun to her head to make her take him back after they broke up.

她说分手后，他用极端威胁强迫她复合。

Don’t put a gun to his head to confess—if he loves you, he’ll say it when he’s ready.

别强迫他表白——如果他爱你，会在准备好的时候说的。

He felt she was putting a gun to his head by saying “marry me or we break up”—he wasn’t ready for marriage.

他觉得她在用“要么结婚，要么分手”强迫他——他还没准备好结婚。

They fought over whether to move abroad, and he accused her of holding a gun to his head by threatening to leave him.

他们为是否出国争吵，他指责她用“离开他”的威胁强迫自己妥协。

The opposition claimed the ruling party was holding a gun to lawmakers’ heads to pass the bill.

反对党称执政党在用威胁强迫议员通过这项法案。

The company put a gun to employees’ heads: take a pay cut, or be laid off.

公司强迫员工二选一：要么降薪，要么被解雇。

The country said the other side was putting a gun to its head by imposing trade sanctions unless it changed its policy.

该国称对方在用贸易制裁强迫自己改变政策，这是极端施压。

来源：翅膀英语一点号