摘要：短语“a shot across the/sb's bows”起源于18世纪末的帆船海战。当时战舰为警示敌方（而非直接攻击造成伤亡），会向对方船头前方的水域开枪，子弹溅起的水花和声响传递明确信号：“立即停止前进或改变行为，否则将采取更激烈的军事行动”。后逐渐脱
a shot across the/sb's bows
（若不改变就会有某种后果的）警告；向某人或组织发出的带有威慑性的预先警告
短语“a shot across the/sb's bows”起源于18世纪末的帆船海战。当时战舰为警示敌方（而非直接攻击造成伤亡），会向对方船头前方的水域开枪，子弹溅起的水花和声响传递明确信号：“立即停止前进或改变行为，否则将采取更激烈的军事行动”。后逐渐脱离军事语境，引申为通用习语，核心保留“警示而非攻击”的本质。特指为阻止对方继续进行某一不当、危险或越界行为，而传递“若不停止，可能面临更严重后果”的信号。本质是“警示信号”，无实际攻击性，但具备明确的威慑意义，强调“预先提醒、以阻代攻”。“bows” 指 帆船的“船首两侧”（帆船船头通常是双弧形结构，非单一尖头），短语字面是“向对方船首两侧前方的水域开枪”，用复数对应“船首整体区域”。如：
Beijing's proposal looks more like a shot across Washington's bows.
中国的提议更像是对华盛顿发出的一次警告。
When she saw him flirting with another girl, she sent him a message that was a shot across his bows—reminding him they were in an exclusive relationship.
当她看到他和另一个女孩调情时，给他发了条信息作为警告——提醒他两人是排他性交往。
She posted photos of her new date on social media as a shot across her ex-boyfriend’s bows—angry that he’d ghosted her after three months.
她把新约会对象的照片发到社交媒体上，作为对前男友的一次警告——他三个月后突然失联，让她很生气。
The UN’s statement condemning the border violations is widely seen as a shot across the bows of the invading country.
联合国谴责边境侵犯行为的声明，被广泛视为对入侵国的一次警告。
The central bank’s sudden regulatory announcement is a shot across the bows of tech companies that have been ignoring data privacy rules.
央行突然发布的监管公告，是对忽视数据隐私规则的科技企业的一次警告。
The senator’s speech criticizing the president’s budget plan was a shot across the administration’s bows.
参议员批评总统预算方案的演讲，是对政府的一次警告。
The military drill held near the coastal border was a shot across the neighbor’s bows, warning against further maritime trespassing.
在沿海边境附近举行的军事演习，是对邻国的一次警告，警示其不要再进行海上越界。
The teacher’s strict remark about “zero tolerance for cheating” was a shot across the students’ bows before the final exam.
期末考试前，老师关于“作弊零容忍”的严厉话语，是对学生们的一次警告。
Her mention of “some couples going for marriage counseling” was a shot across her husband’s bows, hinting at their growing communication problems.
她提到“有些夫妻会去做婚姻咨询”，是对丈夫的一次警告，暗示了两人日益严重的沟通问题。
Frank Underwood sneered, “That op-ed in the Times is a shot across my bows—but they’ll learn that warning me is a mistake. ”
弗兰克·安德伍德冷笑说：“《纽约时报》的那篇专栏评论是对我的一次警告——但他们会明白，警告我是个错误。”《纸牌屋》
来源：翅膀英语一点号
