Chinese word

潜水

Pronunciation

Pinyinqián shuǐ

Meaning

  • verbdive

Example

他昨天在海里潜水了很久。tā zuó tiān zài hái lǐ qián shuǐ le hěn jiǔ

He spent a long time diving in the sea yesterday.

Illustration for 潜水 (dive)

More examples

暑假我们打算去三亚潜水。shǔ jià wǒ men dǎ suàn qù sān yà qián shuǐ

We plan to go diving in Sanya during summer vacation.

Core concept

Moving beneath the surface, or remaining unseen while taking in what is happening.

Common phrases

  • 在海里潜水zài hái lǐ qián shuǐ

    dive in the sea

  • 去潜水qù qián shuǐ

    go diving

  • 学会潜水xué huì qián shuǐ

    learn to dive

Similar words

隐身yǐn shēn: Act while keeping oneself, one's actions, or information out of sight.
消失xiāo shī: No longer appear where one is usually seen.
潜伏qián fú: Stay hidden in a place or among people without appearing in public.
沉默chén mò: Keep silent and say nothing.

Definition in Chinese

在网络、群聊或论坛中不发言、只阅读信息的行为，也可指进入水下活动。zài wǎng luò qún liáo huò lùn tán zhōng bù fā yán zhǐ yuè dú xìn xī de xíng wéi yě kě zhǐ jìn rù shuǐ xià huó dòng

Word origin

The compound 潜水 (qiánshuǐ, "to dive") names movement under water, and this image extends naturally to quiet observation in an online group.

Usage tips

  • In online chat, 潜水 (qiánshuǐ, "to lurk") describes reading without posting and sounds informal, so clearer wording is useful in work or official messages.

Other meanings

  • divingnoun
  • lurkverb

Opposites

  • 上浮shàng fúsurfaceverb
  • 浮出水面fú chū shuǐ miànrise to the surfaceverb

Related words

  • 潜水员qián shuǐ yuándivernoun
  • 潜水艇qián shuí tǐngsubmarinenoun
  • 潜水服qián shuǐ fúdiving suitnoun

Word lists with this word