To stop moving forward — to stay at the same level for so long that staying still becomes the problem. The picture underneath is water in a pond with no stream running through it: nothing flows in, nothing flows out, and after a while it goes green and starts to smell. That is the feeling the word carries about anything it describes.

To stop moving forward停止往前進 to stay at the same level for so long that staying still becomes the problem在同一個水準待太久，久到『停滯不動』本身變成問題 The picture underneath is water in a pond with no stream running through it這個詞背後的畫面是一池沒有活水流通的水塘 nothing flows in, nothing flows out沒有水流進來，也沒有水流出去 and after a while it goes green and starts to smell過一陣子就會變綠、開始發臭 That is the feeling the word carries about anything it describes這就是這個詞用在任何事情上時所帶有的那種感覺

Three places you meet it most. Money and economies: 'wages have stagnated for ten years' means they have not gone up, which with rising prices means people are quietly getting poorer. Careers and skills: 'I felt I was stagnating in that job' means nothing new was being learned and no growth was happening. Organisations and creative work: a company, a sport, a music scene can stagnate.

Three places you meet it most有三個最常見到這個詞的地方 Money and economies金錢和經濟方面 'wages have stagnated for ten years' means they have not gone up『wages have stagnated for ten years』（薪水停滯十年）意思是薪水沒有調漲 which with rising prices means people are quietly getting poorer再加上物價上漲，等於是大家在不知不覺中變窮 Careers and skills職涯和技能方面 'I felt I was stagnating in that job' means nothing new was being learned and no growth was happening『I felt I was stagnating in that job』（我覺得我在那份工作裡停滯不前）意思是沒有學到新東西，也沒有任何成長 Organisations and creative work組織和創作方面 a company, a sport, a music scene can stagnate一家公司、一項運動、一個音樂圈都可能會stagnate（停滯不前）

Notice what the word implies beyond 'stayed the same' — it says the standing still is unhealthy and that something should have been growing. That is why nobody says a mountain has stagnated; there is no expectation of growth there.

Notice what the word implies beyond 'stayed the same'留意這個詞在『維持不變』之外還暗示了什麼 it says the standing still is unhealthy and that something should have been growing它是在說這種原地踏步是不健康的，而且本來應該要有成長 That is why nobody says a mountain has stagnated這就是為什麼沒有人會說一座山stagnated（停滯了） there is no expectation of growth there因為山本來就沒有人期待它成長

It is an intransitive verb: things stagnate, you do not stagnate something. And it is neutral-to-formal — common in news, business writing and serious conversation, not slangy at all.

It is an intransitive verb這是個不及物動詞 things stagnate, you do not stagnate something是事情自己stagnate，不會有人去stagnate某件事 And it is neutral-to-formal而且語氣中性偏正式 common in news, business writing and serious conversation常見於新聞、商業文書和正經的對話裡 not slangy at all一點也不像俚語

There is also a literal, less common use for actual water: 'stagnant water breeds mosquitoes' (that is the adjective, stagnant, which you will meet far more often than the verb in this literal sense).

There is also a literal, less common use for actual water還有一種比較少見、真的在講水的字面用法 'stagnant water breeds mosquitoes'『stagnant water breeds mosquitoes』（死水會孳生蚊子） (that is the adjective, stagnant, which you will meet far more often than the verb in this literal sense)（那個字是形容詞stagnant，在這種字面意思上你遇到它的機會比動詞多得多）