膠こう着ちゃく状じょう態たい

こ

う

ちゃ

く

じょ

う

た

い

Meanings

noun

deadlock; stalemate; standstill

Describes a situation where progress is completely halted, often used in negotiations, conflicts, or discussions.

交こう渉しょうは膠こう着ちゃく状じょう態たいに陥おちいっている。
The negotiations have reached a deadlock.
戦せん線せんは膠こう着ちゃく状じょう態たいが続つづいている。
The front lines remain in a stalemate.

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Kanji

膠glue, isinglass
着don, arrive, wear
状status quo, conditions, circumstances
態attitude, condition, figure

Related words

袋ふくろ小こう路じ
膠着状態 is a formal term for a stalled situation with no movement, closely matching the figurative sense of 袋小路 in negotiations or disputes.

Built from

膠こう着ちゃく+状じょう態たい

Written forms

膠こう着ちゃく状じょう態たい
Standard kanji spelling using 膠着 (adhesion/sticking) + 状態 (state).
こう着ちゃく状じょう態たい
Common simplified spelling replacing the difficult 膠 with こう.

Etymology

Compound of 膠着 (こうちゃく, 'adhesion, agglutination') and 状態 (じょうたい, 'state, condition'). 膠着 originally referred to glue-like sticking, and metaphorically extended to a situation where things are stuck and cannot move forward.