Chinese word

镇定

Pronunciation

Pinyinzhèn dìng

Meaning

  • verbcalm down

Example

他很快镇定下来。tā hěn kuài zhèn dìng xià lái

He quickly calmed down.

Illustration for 镇定 (calm down)

More examples

在紧张的会议上，她努力镇定下来，继续说明自己的观点。zài jǐn zhāng de huì yì shàng tā nǔ lì zhèn dìng xià lái jì xù shuō míng zì jǐ de guān diǎn

At the tense meeting, she tried to calm down and continued explaining her point of view.

Core concept

Agitation is brought to rest, either within a person or across a tense situation.

Common phrases

  • 镇定下来zhèn dìng xià lái

    calm down

  • 镇定情绪zhèn dìng qíng xù

    calm one's emotions

Similar words

冷静lěng jìng: Control rising emotions and return to calm, clear thinking.
镇静zhèn jìng: Calm emotional or social unrest until a quiet state returns.
平静píng jìng: Return to a quiet, peaceful state after disturbance or upset.

Definition in Chinese

表示从慌乱或激动中恢复平静，也可表示使他人或场面安定。biǎo shì cóng huāng luàn huò jī dòng zhōng huī fù píng jìng yě kě biǎo shì shǐ tā rén huò chǎng miàn ān dìng

Word origin

镇定 (zhèndìng, "calm down") joins 镇 (zhèn, "to restrain or steady") with 定 (dìng, "settled"), forming a word for restoring order after disturbance.

Usage tips

  • English often describes a state with an adjective, but this Chinese word commonly presents the change into that state as an action.

Other meanings

  • composedadjective
  • calmverb

Opposites

Related words

  • 镇定剂zhèn dìng jìsedativenoun

Word lists with this word