死水 (sǐ shuǐ) — stagnant water; (figurative) stagnant situation; lifeless state

Definition

Literally 'dead water' — water that no longer flows, used figuratively for a stagnant, lifeless situation (a company, a life, a relationship) with no change or progress.

noun
stagnant water(figurative) stagnant situationlifeless state
Measure word · 滩

Examples

  • 死水。
    Zhè tiáo hé de shuǐ yǐ jīng biàn chéng le sǐ shuǐ.
    The water in this river has become stagnant.
  • 死水，。
    Zhè ge gōng sī jiù xiàng yì tán sǐ shuǐ, méi yǒu rèn hé chuàng xīn.
    This company is like a pool of stagnant water, with no innovation at all.
  • 死水，。
    Tā de shēng huó shì yì tán sǐ shuǐ, háo wú biàn huà.
    His life is a stagnant pool, completely unchanging.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

死sǐdead
水shuǐwater

"死" (dead) and "水" (water) combine to mean dead water, a stagnant situation.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
歹歹dǎi
Sound part声符shēngfú
尸
尸shī死sǐ
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

死 is built from 歹 and 尸: 歹 is the part tied to the meaning, and 尸 gives the sound.

Open 死 →

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

水 is a simple drawing of water flowing.

Open 水 →

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