沉 (chén) — to sink, to submerge; heavy; (of sleep, voice, etc.) deep, profound
Definition
沉 covers both senses: a verb meaning 'to sink / submerge' (unlike 淹, which implies flooding by water) and an adjective meaning 'deep' — as in deep sleep or a heavy object. For emotional immersion, use 沉浸.
to sinkto submergeheavy(of sleep, voice, etc.) deepprofound
Easily confused
Examples
- ，沉。Mù tou bǐ shí tou qīng, suǒ yǐ bú huì chén.Wood is lighter than stone, so it won't sink.
- 沉，。Zhè zhāng zhuō zi tài chén le, wǒ bān bú dòng.This table is too heavy — I can't move it.
- 沉，。Tā shuì dé hěn chén, wài miàn yǒu rén jiào tā yě méi xǐng.He sleeps very deeply; even though someone called him from outside, he didn't wake up.
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