沉寂 (chén jì) — still, quiet, silent (of environment or atmosphere); without news, in a state of being heard from (of communication); (figuratively) to lie low, to remain inactive

Definition

Examples

• 深夜的城市一片沉寂，只有路灯还亮着。
  Shēn yè de chéng shì yí piàn chén jì, zhǐ yǒu lù dēng hái liàng zhe.
  The city was utterly silent late at night, with only the streetlights still on.
• 他因为被调查而选择暂时沉寂，不对外发表任何言论。
  Tā yīn wèi bèi diào chá ér xuǎn zé zàn shí chén jì, bú duì wài fā biǎo rèn hé yán lùn.
  He chose to lie low temporarily because of the investigation, not making any public statements.
• 这件事已经沉寂多年，直到最近才有人重新提起。
  Zhè jiàn shì yǐ jīng chén jì duō nián, zhí dào zuì jìn cái yǒu rén chóng xīn tí qǐ.
  This matter has been dormant for years; only recently did someone bring it up again.

Origin