Chinese word

陷

Pronunciation

Pinyinxiàn

Meaning

  • verbget stuck

Example

车轮陷在泥里。chē lún xiàn zài ní lǐ

The wheel is stuck in the mud.

Illustration for 陷 (get stuck)

More examples

谈判陷入僵局，双方暂停了会谈。tán pàn xiàn rù jiāng jú shuāng fāng zàn tíng le huì tán

The negotiations reached a stalemate, and both sides suspended the talks.

Core concept

Descent into a place or condition that grips the subject instead of letting it pass through.

Common phrases

  • 陷入困境xiàn rù kùn jìng

    get into trouble

  • 陷入僵局xiàn rù jiāng jú

    reach a stalemate

  • 陷入泥潭xiàn rù ní tán

    get bogged down

Similar words

陷入xiàn rù: Sink into a difficult situation or condition and become unable to escape easily.
陷于xiàn yú: Be trapped in a certain state, usually an undesirable one, without an easy way out.

Definition in Chinese

指被困住或陷入某种不利的局面，常含无法轻易脱身的意味，也可指物体下沉或嵌入。zhǐ bèi kùn zhù huò xiàn rù móu zhǒng bú lì de jú miàn cháng hán wú fǎ qīng yì tuō shēn de yì wèi yě kě zhǐ wù tǐ xià chén huò qiàn rù

Word origin

陷 (xiàn, "to get stuck") is formed from 阝 (fù, "mound or terrain") + 臽 (xiàn, "pit"), linking land and a hollow to the idea of being caught below the surface.

Usage tips

  • In conversation, the same verb covers a physical problem and a difficult situation, so the subject and surrounding words usually show whether the meaning is concrete or abstract.

Other meanings

  • sinkverb

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word