沉默 (chén mò) — to be silent; taciturn | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

沉默 is the verb 'to be silent / taciturn' — it describes a person's quietness or refusal to speak, not a feeling of loneliness (寂寞) or deep thought (沉思). Often used as an adjective (沉默的) before nouns or as 沉默地 before verbs.

verb

to be silenttaciturn

Examples

沉默。
Tā zài huì shàng yì zhí chén mò.
She was silent throughout the meeting.
沉默，。
Tā chén mò dì zuò zhe, yí jù huà yě méi shuō.
He sat silently, not saying a single word.
沉默，。
Tā xìng gé chén mò, bú ài shuō huà.
He is taciturn by nature and doesn't like to talk.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

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

默mòsilent

The word pairs 沉, suggesting a deep, settled state, with 默, meaning silent, to describe being quiet and uncommunicative.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

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

黑犬默

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

黑

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

默 pairs 黑 with 犬 (dog), and 黑 gives the sound.

Appears in

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