English Idioms
Comprehensive resource for understanding and mastering English idioms
Zero-sum game
Meaning
A zero-sum game is a situation where one person's gain is equivalent to another person's loss. In other words, it's a game where the total amount of resources or points is fixed and any increase by one player must be matched by a decrease from another player.
Usage
- The negotiation between the two parties was a zero-sum game, with both sides determined to get their fair share at the expense of the other.
- The company's decision to cut costs led to layoffs, making it a zero-sum game for employees and management alike.
- In poker, the pot is a fixed amount, making it a zero-sum game where one player wins at the expense of another.
- The sports team's victory meant that their opponents lost, creating a zero-sum game where one team could only win at the expense of the other.
- The new legislation aimed to redistribute wealth, but it resulted in a zero-sum game where some people gained while others lost.
Roots and History
The idiom "zero-sum game" is believed to have originated in the world of mathematics, specifically in game theory. In game theory, a zero-sum game is defined as a situation where one player's gain is equivalent to another player's loss. The term was first used in this context by mathematician John von Neumann in his book "Theory of Games and Economic Behavior" in 1944. Over time, the idiom has been applied to various other fields, including economics, politics, and sports. In each case, it describes a situation where one person's gain is equivalent to another person's loss.
Synonyms in English
- Win-lose game
- Gain-loss game
- Oppositional game
- Competitive game
- Zero-sum proposition
Synonyms in other languages
- Jeu nul (French) - A game where one player's gain is equivalent to another player's loss.
- ゼロスライムゲーム (Japanese) - A situation where one person's gain is equivalent to another person's loss.
- 零進の競争 (Korean) - A competition where one person's gain is equivalent to another person's loss.
- 비즈니스 게임 (German) - A business situation where one person's gain is equivalent to another person's loss.
- 플레이어 닫힘 게임 (Russian) - A game where one player's gain is equivalent to another player's loss, resulting in a decrease in the number of players.