Chinese Conversation · Level 61
90 words
Chinese word
沉默
Pronunciation
Pinyinchén mò
Meaning
- verbfall silent
Example
他说错话后就沉默了。tā shuō cuò huà hòu jiù chén mò le
After he said the wrong thing, he fell silent.
More examples
会议中，他突然沉默下来，大家都安静了。huì yì zhōng tā tū rán chén mò xià lái dà jiā dōu ān jìng le
In the middle of the meeting, he suddenly became silent, and everyone grew quiet.
Core concept
Words and replies stop, creating a quiet gap in an interaction.
Common phrases
陷入沉默xiàn rù chén mò
fall silent
沉默下来chén mò xià lái
become silent
沉默了一会儿chén mò le yí huìr
remain silent for a while
Similar words
不说话bù shuō huà: Does not speak or use words while taking part in an interaction.
不出声bù chū shēng: Makes no vocal sound or spoken utterance.
保持沉默bǎo chí chén mò: Keeps silent on purpose instead of giving a reply.
Definition in Chinese
保持无言、不出声或不回答对方的话，常用于表示拒绝交流、尴尬或在思考中的沉默状态。bǎo chí wú yán bù chū shēng huò bù huí dá duì fāng de huà cháng yòng yú biǎo shì jù jué jiāo liú gān gà huò zài sī kǎo zhōng de chén mò zhuàng tài
Word origin
沉 (chén, "sink") + 默 (mò, "silent") form 沉默 (chénmò, "fall silent"), joining the idea of settling down with the absence of speech.
Usage tips
- A pause after a question can signal thought, embarrassment, or reluctance rather than agreement, so the surrounding situation supplies the meaning.