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淹没 (yān mò) — to submerge, to inundate (by water); to drown out, to overwhelm (figuratively, e.g., sound or emotion)

Definition

淹 means 'to flood'; 淹没 adds 没 ('disappear under') to stress being completely covered, often used in the 被 construction. Figuratively, it means being drowned out or overwhelmed by sound or emotion — stronger than 充斥 ('flooded with').

verb
to submergeto inundate (by water)to drown outto overwhelm (figuratively, e.g., sound or emotion)

Examples

  • ，淹没。
    Dà yǔ guò hòu, dào lù bèi hóng shuǐ yān mò le.
    After the heavy rain, the road was submerged by floodwater.
  • 淹没。
    Tā de shēng yīn bèi zhǎng shēng yān mò le.
    Her voice was drowned out by applause.
  • 淹没。
    Bēi shāng de qíng xù yān mò le tā.
    The feeling of grief overwhelmed him.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

淹yāndrown
没méisink

Both parts involve water covering or sinking, so together they mean to submerge.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 淹 →

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 沒; 没 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
水水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
𠬛
𠬛𠬛沒mò
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 沒 pairs 水 (water) with 𠬛 as a sound part; this note is about 沒, not the simplified 没.

Open 没 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 6HSK 2.0 Level 6

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