默不作声 (mò bú zuò shēng) — to remain silent, to not say a word

Definition

An idiom for staying completely silent on purpose, often under pressure. Pairs with 却 or 仍然 to show the silence is unexpected or stubborn.

idiom
to remain silentto not say a word

Examples

  • ，默不作声。
    Dà jiā dōu zài tǎo lùn, tā què mò bú zuò shēng.
    Everyone was discussing, but he remained silent.
  • ，默不作声。
    Miàn duì lǎo shī de tí wèn, tā mò bú zuò shēng.
    Facing the teacher's question, he remained silent.
  • ，默不作声。
    Jǐn guǎn shòu dào pī píng, tā réng rán mò bú zuò shēng.
    Despite being criticized, she still remained silent.

Origin

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
犬犬quǎndog
Sound part声符shēngfú
黑
黑hēi默mò
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

默 pairs 黑 with 犬 (dog), and 黑 gives the sound.

Open 默 →

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

The picture in 不 originally showed a flower’s calyx; the “no” sense came later from a related character, not from this picture.

Open 不 →

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
亻Written in full as人rénperson
Sound part声符shēngfú
乍
乍zhà作zuò
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The left side 亻 comes from 人, meaning 'person', and the right side 乍 gives the sound.

Open 作 →

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 聲; 声 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
耳耳ěrear
Sound part声符shēngfú
殸
殸qìng聲shēng
Same sound today

The traditional form 聲 pairs 耳 (ear) with 殸 as a sound part; the simplified 声 is a shorthand and does not show those original parts.

Open 声 →

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