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沉浸 (chén jìn) — to be immersed in (an atmosphere, activity, emotion) — figurative; to soak, to steep (in liquid)

Definition

Almost always used figuratively — to be deeply absorbed in an atmosphere, activity, or emotion (e.g. work, a film). For literal soaking in liquid, 浸泡 is the neutral choice; 沉浸 emphasizes the emotional/figurative immersion.

verb
to be immersed in (an atmosphere, activity, emotion) — figurativeto soakto steep (in liquid)

Examples

  • 沉浸。
    Chá yè chén jìn zài rè shuǐ lǐ cái néng pào chū wèi dào.
    Tea leaves need to be steeped in hot water to release flavor.
  • 沉浸，。
    Tā wán quán chén jìn zài gōng zuò zhōng, wàng jì le shí jiān.
    He was completely immersed in work, forgetting the time.
  • 沉浸。
    Guān zhòng men chén jìn zài diàn yǐng de gǎn rén qíng jié zhōng.
    The audience was immersed in the touching plot of the movie.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

沉chénsink
浸jìnsoak

沉 means sink and 浸 means soak, so together they describe being immersed.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 沉 →

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
水水shuǐ
Sound part声符shēngfú
𡩠
𡩠𡩠浸jìn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

浸 is built from 水, meaning water, and 𡩠, which gives the sound.

Open 浸 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Emotions & Feelings

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