丧钟 (sāng zhōng) — funeral bell; death knell (figurative sign of downfall)
Definition
Literally 'funeral bell', 丧钟 is used figuratively as 'death knell' to signal the end or downfall of something (a regime, an idea, a practice). It is almost never a neutral term — it carries a solemn, ominous tone in political or literary writing.
noun
funeral belldeath knell (figurative sign of downfall)
Examples
- 丧钟。Zhàn zhēng de shī bài wèi jiù dì guó qiāo xiǎng le sāng zhōng.The defeat in war tolled the death knell for the old empire.
- 丧钟。Fǎn duì pài rèn wéi zhè xiàng zhèng cè shì mín zhǔ de sāng zhōng.The opposition considers this policy the death knell of democracy.
- 丧钟，。Měi dāng tīng dào sāng zhōng, rén men dōu huì gǎn dào bēi shāng.Whenever they hear the funeral bell, people feel sad.
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