悄无声息 (qiāo) — quietly, noiselessly, stealthily
Definition
An adverbial idiom meaning 'without a sound, in complete silence' — emphasizes the total absence of noise. Distinct from the verb 安静 (be quiet) by describing how an action unfolds, not a state.
verb
quietlynoiselesslystealthily
Examples
- 悄无声息。Tā qiāo dì zǒu jìn le fáng jiān.He walked into the room quietly.
- 悄无声息，。Zhěng gè yè wǎn qiāo, lián chóng míng dōu tīng bú jiàn.The entire night was silent, not even the chirping of insects could be heard.
- 悄无声息，。Shí jiān qiāo dì liú shì, zhuǎn yǎn yì nián guò qù le.Time passed by silently, and in the blink of an eye, a year had gone by.
Appears in
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