Definition
一声不吭 (yī shēng bù kēng) describes a person who deliberately or stubbornly doesn't make a single sound — it emphasizes the complete absence of speech or noise from that person. It differs from 一言不发 (yī yán bù fā), which is a more neutral 'not saying a word', and from 鸦雀无声 (yā què wú shēng), which describes a place or crowd being dead silent. 无话可说 (wú huà kě shuō) means 'have nothing to say' (often due to shock or guilt), not a voluntary silence.
phrase
not say a single wordremain completely silent
Examples
- 一声不吭，。Tā yī shēng bù kēng de zuò zài jiǎoluò, shuí yě bù lǐ.He sat silently in the corner, ignoring everyone.
- ，一声不吭，。Wǒ wèn le tā hǎo jǐ cì, tā yī shēng bù kēng, ràng wǒ hěn dānxīn.I asked him several times, but he didn't say a word, which made me worried.
- 一声不吭，。Zhěnggè wǎnshang tā yī shēng bù kēng, qìfēn hěn gāngà.He didn't say a word the whole evening, and the atmosphere was very awkward.
Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.