abyss
/əˈbɪs/noun
1- a deep or seemingly bottomless chasm深渊：
a rope led down into the dark abyss.
一条绳子垂向黑暗的深渊。
1.1
- figurative a wide or profound difference between people; a gulf〈喻〉（人与人之间的）巨大差异; 鸿沟：
the abyss between the two nations.
两个民族间的鸿沟。
1.2
- figurative the regions of hell conceived of as a bottomless pit〈喻〉（地狱中的）无底深渊：
Satan's dark abyss.
撒旦的黑暗深渊。
1.3
the abyss
figurative a catastrophic situation seen as likely to occur〈喻〉（可能发生的）灾难性局势：teetering on the edge of the abyss of a total political wipeout.
飘摇于政治上彻底覆灭的边缘。
词源
late Middle English （in the sense 'infernal pit'）： via late Latin from Greek abussos 'bottomless', from a- 'without' + bussos 'depth'.