Level playing field这个英文短语常常在商业相关的语境中出现，可你知道它具体是什么意思吗？这个短语中的level，以及playing field又指的是什么呢？
其实，level playing field的意思是：公平竞争环境。维基百科指出：In commerce, a level playing field is a concept about fairness, not that each player has an equal chance to succeed, but that they all play by the same set of rules. 商业环境中，level playing field是一个有关公平的概念，这并非指每个玩家都具有平等的成功机会，而是指他们都遵守相同的游戏规则。
知名财经知识站点Investorwords对Level playing field的英文解释是：Environment in which all companies in a given market must follow the same rules and are given an equal ability to compete. 指特定市场中所有公司都必须遵守相同规则、并被给予平等竞争能力的环境。
仔细分析一下这个短语的构成会帮你更好地记忆、理解它。所谓playing field是体育运动里“赛场”的意思。Level在这里作为形容词，意思是“水平的”、“平整的”（having an even or flat surface; being in a plane parallel to the plane of the horizon; horizontal.）。对于在竞赛场地中打比赛的运动来说，为确保公平竞争，比赛双方通常会在半场的时候交换场地。这样就不会有任何一方会因为场地的原因导致竞争时处于劣势。
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最后，我们看几个来自Investorwords，关于如何在日常口语中使用level playing field的例子：
You should always try to offer a level playing field at your work place so everyone has a fair chance.
Company executives were happy to see the shady dealings of their competitors finally come to a halt now that government regulatory agencies were in place to prevent malfeasance and maintain a level playing field for all companies.
补充：
关于level playing field，有一个很有意思的用法变化，在这里做个补充说明。你只需在level后面加一个单词the，就可以把level由形容词（adjective）变成一个动词（verb），整个短语也由名词短语变为动词短语：level the playing field，意思是：使竞争环境变得公平。（参见thefreedictionary.com的解释：to give everyone the same advantages or opportunities. “It was an effort to level the playing field and achieve greater equality between the sexes.” ）
注：本文最近更新于2019年12月7日。
