死沉 (sǐ chén) — deathly quiet, still as death; extremely heavy, dead heavy

Definition

Used as a predicate or 死沉的 to describe something extremely heavy or deathly still/quiet. It works like an adjective phrase, not an action verb — translate the situation, not a 'doing'.

verb
deathly quietstill as deathextremely heavydead heavy

Examples

  • 死沉，。
    Wū zi lǐ sǐ chén, yì diǎn shēng yīn dōu méi yǒu.
    The room is deathly quiet, not a sound.
  • 死沉，。
    Zhè ge xiāng zi sǐ chén, wǒ yí gè rén bān bú dòng.
    This box is dead heavy; I can't carry it alone.
  • ，死沉。
    Tīng dào nà ge xiāo xi hòu, tā de liǎn sǐ chén de.
    After hearing that news, his face was deathly still.

Origin

Derived word
构词法gòucífǎ
前缀qiánzhuìPrefix

A fixed syllable in front that adds a shade of meaning but carries none of its own.

死sǐvery
沉chénheavy

死 gives an extreme sense to 沉 (heavy or still), yielding dead heavy or deathly still.

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 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 沉 →

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