The lack of bidders could indicate that market strains are easing, and that the mere promise of a lifeline was enough.

缺乏竞标者能表明这个市场趋于缓和，并且仅仅许诺生存线就足够了。

youdao

there was a parliamentary enquiry into the issue in 2006 and a promise, this year, to begin widening citizenship, initially to a mere 2,000 people.

2006年科威特国民议会就此议题进行了质询，并承诺今年开始放宽公民权——不过开始仅仅授予2000人。

youdao

But in the most secret recesses of her soul the question whether her engagement to Boris were really a mere jest or a solemn, binding promise worried her.

但是在她那隐秘的灵魂深处，她对鲍里斯作出的保证是否是戏言，还是紧要的、具有约束力的诺言，这个问题一直使她觉得难受。

youdao

The mere promise that British troops would defend the young government of Sierra Leone, for example, discourages rebels from attacking it.

ECONOMIST: Good news from Sudan and Senegal; disappointment in Uganda

It seems a safe bet that its flaws, palpable though they are, will prove to be mere bumps in the straight road of promise down which Ms. Herzog is traveling.

WSJ: Persons of Interest | The Great God Pan | Our Town | Theater Review by Terry Teachout