In the tech-centered world in which we live, it's inevitable¹ that electronic devices might be periodically subjected to a bit of an overhaul², but what if our attempts at maintenance or improvement leave them worse for wear? This is the circumstance behind an action now described by the verb brick.

 

在我们生活的这个技术世界里，电子设备难免要定期进行一些更新，但是，如果我们对电子设备的维护或升级导致它们无法使用了怎么办呢？这种设备更新或升级后无法正常使用的情况现在可以用一个词来表示：brick（变砖）。

 

The transitive verb brick refers to the undesirable³ action of causing an electronic device to stop working because of something you've done to the software, usually when updating its operating system or adding a new application. Though the term is usually used in the context of mobile phones, it's also possible to brick other devices, such as tablet or desktop⁴ computers and even games consoles. Devices are often bricked when there's an interruption to an update procedure, perhaps because of power failure or because the user inadvertently does something which affects it. Such interruptions can partially⁵ overwrite or corrupt⁶ what is known as firmware, software which is integral to the device and without which it may not properly function. (Source: macmillandictionary.com)

 

这里的动词brick就指因为对软件进行的某个操作导致电子设备罢工的意外状况，这些操作通常是升级操作系统或添加新的应用程序。虽然“变砖”这个说法多用于手机，不过这种情况也可能发生在平板电脑、台式电脑以及游戏机主机等设备上。设备“变砖”多由断电或用户无意操作导致的升级程序中断引发。此类程序中断会部分覆盖或损坏固件，固件就是设备中内置的软件，没有此类软件，设备可能无法正常运行。

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