Chinese word

沉着

Pronunciation

Pinyinchén zhuó

Meaning

  • adjectivecalm

Example

考试时要保持沉着。kǎo shì shí yào bǎo chí chén zhuó

Keep calm during the exam.

Illustration for 沉着 (calm)

More examples

面对突发情况，她依然沉着，冷静处理问题。miàn duì tū fā qíng kuàng tā yī rán chén zhuó lěng jìng chú lǐ wèn tí

Even when faced with an unexpected situation, she stayed calm and handled the problem calmly.

Core concept

Agitation sinking below the surface, leaving a person steady enough to think and act well.

Common phrases

  • 保持沉着bǎo chí chén zhuó

    stay calm

  • 显得沉着xiǎn de chén zhuó

    appear calm

  • 表现得沉着biǎo xiàn de chén zhuó

    act calmly

Similar words

冷静lěng jìng: Keeping emotions from affecting clear thinking and judgment.
镇定zhèn dìng: Staying calm under tension or in a crisis and handling the situation without losing control.
稳重wěn zhòng: Showing careful, steady behavior that makes a person seem dependable.

Definition in Chinese

形容在重要时刻能够保持冷静、不慌乱并做出可靠判断的性格特征或瞬间状态。xíng róng zài zhòng yào shí kè néng gòu bǎo chí lěng jìng bù huāng luàn bìng zuò chū kě kào pàn duàn de xìng gé tè zhēng huò shùn jiān zhuàng tài

Word origin

沉着 (chénzhuó, "calm") is formed from 沉 (chén, "to sink") and 着 (zhuó, "to be fixed"), giving the image of a disturbed mind settling and staying steady.

Usage tips

  • The word focuses on controlled judgment and behavior rather than on someone who simply says little, so it suits a tense conversation, a difficult choice, or an exam.

Other meanings

  • settle downverb
  • composurenoun

Opposites

Related words

  • 沉着地chén zhuó dìcalmlyadverb

Word lists with this word