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不动声色 (bù dòng shēng sè) — to maintain composure without revealing one's feelings; to keep a straight face and act calmly

Definition

A set phrase (chengyu) meaning to stay calm and reveal nothing through your voice or expression — usually on purpose, to keep others from reading you.

verb
to maintain composure without revealing one's feelingsto keep a straight face and act calmly

Examples

  • ，不动声色。
    Miàn duì duì fāng de zhǐ zé, tā bù dòng shēng sè dì jì xù gōng zuò.
    Faced with the other party's accusations, he continued working without batting an eye.
  • 不动声色。
    Jǐng chá bù dòng shēng sè dì guān chá zhe xián yí rén de yì jǔ yí dòng.
    The police calmly observed every move of the suspect without showing any reaction.
  • 不动声色，。
    Tán pàn zhōng tā shǐ zhōng bù dòng shēng sè, ràng duì fāng mō bù qīng dǐ pái.
    Throughout the negotiation he remained impassive, leaving the other side unable to read his hand.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

不动not change
不bùnot动dòngchange
偏正Modifier + head
声色voice and expression
声shēngvoice色sèexpression
联合Coordinate

不动 conveys not changing, while 声色 refers to voice and expression; together they describe keeping one's face and tone steady.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The picture in 不 originally showed a flower’s calyx; the “no” sense came later from a related character, not from this picture.

Open 不 →

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 動; 动 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
力力lìstrength
Sound part声符shēngfú
重
重zhòng動dòng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 動 uses 力 (strength) and 重 as a sound part; 重 refers to a heavy bag ready to be moved by a human. This note is about 動, not 动.

Open 动 →

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 聲; 声 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
耳耳ěrear
Sound part声符shēngfú
殸
殸qìng聲shēng
Same sound today

The traditional form 聲 pairs 耳 (ear) with 殸 as a sound part; the simplified 声 is a shorthand and does not show those original parts.

Open 声 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

  • 爪爪zhuǎclaw; hand
  • 卩卩jiékneeling person

色 pairs 爪 (a hand) with 卩 (a kneeling person), showing a hand pressing down on the kneeling person.

Open 色 →
Appears in
Emotions & FeelingsIdioms & Set Phrases

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