杳无音讯 (yǎo wú yīn xùn) — (idiom) to have no news or trace of someone; to have completely disappeared without any communication

Definition

Literary idiom meaning 'vanished without a trace or any word' — someone or something has completely disappeared and sent no news. Used in writing, not everyday speech.

idiom
to have no news or trace of someoneto have completely disappeared without any communication

Examples

  • 杳无音讯，。
    Tā chū guó hòu jiù yǎo wú yīn xùn, jiā rén dōu hěn dān xīn.
    After he went abroad, there has been no news from him, and his family is very worried.
  • 杳无音讯，。
    Nà fēng xìn jì chū qù zhī hòu biàn yǎo wú yīn xùn, bù zhī duì fāng shōu dào méi yǒu.
    After that letter was sent, there was no news at all; I don't know if the recipient received it.
  • 杳无音讯。
    Zhè ge shī zōng de lǚ xíng zhě yǐ jīng yǎo wú yīn xùn sān tiān le.
    This missing traveler has had no news for three days.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

杳无far absent
杳yǎofar away无wúnot have
偏正Modifier + head
音讯news
音yīnsound/message讯xùnnews
联合Side by side

杳无 gives a far, absent sense, and 音讯 is the news that never comes.

Characters in this word

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

In 杳, 日 (sun) sits under 木 (tree), showing the sun hidden by a tree, hence darkness.

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 無; 无 is its simplified writing.

For the simplified 无, the story is about 無. 無 drew a person dancing with ox tails held in both hands to pray for rain, then was borrowed for 'have no', so the picture does not explain that meaning.

Open 无 →

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

音 adds a short stroke that seals the mouth-like part, showing a covered or muffled sound rather than speech.

Open 音 →

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 訊; 讯 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yán
Sound part声符shēngfú
卂
卂xùn訊xùn
Same sound today

The traditional form 訊 combines 言 (words) with 卂 as a sound part; the simplified 讯 is a shorthand.

Open 讯 →

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