根据词典定义，

"dead hand" means

 ——a strong harmful influence that something continues to have （某事持续具有的强烈而有害的影响）

——an undesirable persisting influence, especially concerning property after the death of a prior owner. (不受欢迎的持续影响，尤其是在前任所有者去世后的财产方面)

根据上述定义，在法律文件中，“dead hand” 常在表达 “难以消除的不利影响” 时出现，比较生动形象。

根据韦伯斯特词典的释义，

 "Dead hand" is a literal translation of the etymology of an older English word, "mortmain," which comes from the Old French words morte (meaning "dead") and "main" (meaning "hand"). In very unspooky terms, the words describe property that is left to a company, church, or charity in perpetuity. The "oppressive past influence" sense of both "mortmain" and "dead hand" developed from the idea of the dead exercising posthumous control over their property by dictating how it must be used after they die.

【双语例句】

The dead hand of bureaucracy is exerting its enormous influence on our work.

官僚主义严重地影响了我们的工作。