釋義：

Ignoring an obvious problem; Failing to address an issue that stands out in a major way.忽略明顯的問題，避而不談的事情；

來源：

The imagery for this phrase is something like this: 這個詞組的寓意是這樣When there's a big problem that is easily noticeable, 當(dāng)有一個顯而易見的事情時yet nobody is willing to discuss or even acknowledge it, then the issue sticks out like a sore thumb.但沒有人愿意去談?wù)摶蛘叱姓J(rèn)It's as if there is a giant elephant in the room and everyone is just ignoring it despite how big and apparent it is. 就好比屋子里有一頭象，盡管很大很明顯，但是依然沒有人留意到。Seriously, you can't miss them. 認(rèn)真來講，你應(yīng)該會留意到。

The exact origin of this phrase is unclear, 詞組的來源不是很確定however, the phrase looks to be a relatively recent one, only being found in print as early as the mid 20th century, though it's always possible that the idiom is older. 但是，詞組相對來講是比較新的，大約在20世紀(jì)時候被發(fā)現(xiàn)。Wikipedia states that the Oxford English Dictionary credits the New York Times newspaper from June 20th, 1959, as the first recorded use of this phrase as a simile.維基百科記錄，牛津詞典記錄1959年6月20號的紐約時報第一次提到過這個詞組。

舉例：

A century later, China is not so much the elephant in the room, but the elephant in the region.

一個世紀(jì)后，中國不再被視而不見，而是被更多地關(guān)注