1. 情况;情形;形势
    The circumstances of a particular situation are the conditions which affect what happens.

circumstance

    e.g. Recent opinion polls show that 60 percent favor abortion under certain circumstances...
           最近的民意调查显示，60%的人赞成在某些情况下可以堕胎。
    e.g. The strategy was too dangerous in the explosive circumstances of the times...
           在当时那种一触即发的形势下，采取那样的策略太危险了。

2. （事件发生的）情形，详情，原委
    The circumstances of an event are the way it happened or the causes of it.

circumstance的翻译

    e.g. I'm making inquiries about the circumstances of Mary Dean's murder...
           我在调查玛丽·迪安谋杀案的详情。
    e.g. Hundreds of people had died there in terrible circumstances during and after the revolution.
           在革命期间和其后的恶劣形势下，那里有成百上千的人死去。

3. 生活状况;境况;(尤指)经济状况
    Your circumstances are the conditions of your life, especially the amount of money that you have.

    e.g. ...help and support for the single mother, whatever her circumstances...
           不论单身母亲的经济状况如何均为其提供的帮助与扶持
    e.g. I wouldn't have expected to find you in such comfortable circumstances.
           我怎么也没有想到你生活这么优裕。

4. 命运;机缘;客观环境
    Events and situations which cannot be controlled are sometimes referred to as circumstance .

    e.g. There are those, you know, who, by circumstance, end up homeless...
           您知道，会有那么一些人，因为命运捉弄而落得无家可归。
    e.g. You might say that we've been victims of circumstance.
           你可以说我们一直不走运吧。

5. 在任何情况下;无论如何
    You can emphasize that something must not or will not happen by saying that it must not or will not happen under any circumstances .

    e.g. Racism is wholly unacceptable under any circumstances...
           无论在何种情况下，种族主义都是千万要不得的。
    e.g. She made it clear that under no circumstances would she cancel the trip.
           她明确表示，无论如何她都不会取消旅行。

6. 在那种情况下;情况既然如此
    You can use in the circumstances or under the circumstances before or after a statement to indicate that you have considered the conditions affecting the situation before making the statement.

circumstance的意思

    e.g. Under the circumstances, a crash was unavoidable...
           在那种情况下，撞车是难以避免的。
    e.g. In the circumstances, Paisley's plans looked highly appropriate.
           佩斯利所拟定的计划在当时的情况下看来非常恰当。