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沉没 (chén méi) — (of ships) to sink, to founder; (figurative) to remain obscure and insignificant, to be lost from public view

Definition

A formal/literary verb for sinking completely out of sight (especially ships). Its figurative sense — talents, efforts, or fame fading into oblivion — is the more literary use.

verb
(of ships) to sinkto founder(figurative) to remain obscure and insignificant, to be lost from public view

Examples

  • 沉没。
    Nà sōu huò lún zài bào fēng yǔ zhōng chén méi le.
    That cargo ship sank in the storm.
  • 沉没，。
    Tā nà xiē cái huá zài suì yuè zhōng chén méi le, wú rén zhī xiǎo.
    His talents sank into oblivion over the years, known to no one.
  • 沉没，。
    Gōng sī suǒ yǒu de tóu zī dōu chén méi le, xuè běn wú guī.
    All the company's investments were lost, leaving nothing.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

沉chénsink
没méisubmerge

沉 and 没 both express sinking or being submerged, together meaning to sink.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 沉 →

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 沒; 没 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
水水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
𠬛
𠬛𠬛沒mò
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 沒 pairs 水 (water) with 𠬛 as a sound part; this note is about 沒, not the simplified 没.

Open 没 →
Appears in
Boats & Water Travel

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