死气沉沉 (sǐ qì chén chén) — lifeless, spiritless, stagnant (describing an a… | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A vivid idiom for an atmosphere, group, or situation that feels drained of energy and enthusiasm — stronger and more graphic than just 'boring.'

idiom

lifelessspiritlessstagnant (describing an atmosphere or situation)

Examples

死气沉沉，。
Zhè ge gōng sī qì fen sǐ qì chén chén, yuán gōng dōu bù xiǎng shuō huà.
This company has a lifeless atmosphere; employees don't want to talk.
死气沉沉，。
Huì yì kāi dé sǐ qì chén chén, dà jiā dōu jué de làng fèi shí jiān.
The meeting was so spiritless that everyone felt it was a waste of time.
，死气沉沉。
Zì cóng lǎo zhāng lí kāi hòu, tuán duì jiù biàn de sǐ qì chén chén le.
Since Old Zhang left, the team has become stagnant and lifeless.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

主谓zhǔwèiSubject + predicate

A small sentence frozen into a word: something, and what it does or is.

死气lifeless air

死sǐdead气qìair

偏正Modifier + head

沉沉heavy

沉chénheavy沉chénheavy

重叠Reduplication

"死气" (lifeless air) plus "沉沉" (heavy) describes a stagnant atmosphere.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

尸

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

死 is built from 歹 and 尸: 歹 is the part tied to the meaning, and 尸 gives the sound.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 氣; 气 is its simplified writing.

气米氣

Meaning part形符xíngfú

米米mǐrice

Sound part声符shēngfú

气

气qì氣qì

Same sound today

The traditional form 氣 pairs 米 (rice) with 气, which supplies the sound; the simplified 气 is a later abbreviation.

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Appears in

Idioms & Set Phrases

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