"fig. to silence" Chinese-English Dictionary

Chinese	Pinyin	Translation	Actions
布囊其口佈囊其口	bù náng qí kǒu	lit. to cover sb's mouth with cloth / to gag / fig. to silence

Chinese	Pinyin	Translation	Actions
静默靜默	jìng mò	silent / still / quiet / to mourn in silence / to observe silence / (neologism c. 2022) to stay at home during a pandemic	syn
鸦雀无声鴉雀無聲	yā què wú shēng	lit. crow and peacock make no sound / absolute silence (idiom) / not a single voice can be heard / absolute silence	syn
冷场冷場	lěng chǎng	stage wait / (fig.) awkward silence
默默	mò mò	in silence / not speaking	syn
沉寂	chén jì	silence / stillness	syn
搭讪搭訕	dā shàn	to hit on someone / to strike up a conversation / to start talking to end an awkward silence or embarrassing situation	syn
灭口滅口	miè kǒu	to kill sb to prevent them from divulging a secret / to silence sb	syn
忍辱负重忍辱負重	rěn rǔ fù zhòng	to endure humiliation as part of an important mission (idiom) / to suffer in silence
默哀	mò āi	to observe a moment of silence in tribute
忍气吞声忍氣吞聲	rěn qì tūn shēng	to submit to humiliation (idiom) / to suffer in silence / to swallow one's anger / to grin and bear it	syn
沈默	chén mò	silence
消音	xiāo yīn	to silence
默读默讀	mò dú	to read in silence	syn
默想	mò xiǎng	silent contemplation / to meditate / to think in silence	syn
饮泣飲泣	yǐn qì	(literary) to weep in silence	syn
默记默記	mò jì	to learn by heart / to commit to memory / to remember / to memorize in silence
默祷默禱	mò dǎo	silent prayer / pray in silence
吃哑巴亏吃啞巴虧	chī yǎ ba kuī	to be forced to suffer in silence / unable to speak of one's bitter suffering	syn
潜神默记潛神默記	qián shén mò jì	to devote oneself to a task in silence (idiom)
哑巴吃黄莲啞巴吃黃蓮	yǎ ba chī huáng lián	no choice but to suffer in silence (idiom) / also written 啞巴吃黃連\|哑巴吃黄连 / (often precedes 有苦說不出\|有苦说不出[you3 ku3 shuo1 bu5 chu1])
哑巴吃黄连啞巴吃黃連	yǎ ba chī huáng lián	no choice but to suffer in silence (idiom) / also written 啞巴吃黃蓮\|哑巴吃黄莲 / (often precedes 有苦說不出\|有苦说不出[you3 ku3 shuo1 bu5 chu1])
哑巴吃黄连，有苦说不出啞巴吃黃連，有苦說不出	yǎ ba chī huáng lián , yǒu kǔ shuō bu chū	to be forced to suffer in silence (idiom) / unable to speak of one's bitter suffering / sometimes written 啞子吃黃連，有苦說不出\|哑子吃黄连，有苦说不出
哑然无生啞然無生	yǎ rán wú shēng	silence reigns (idiom)
沉默是金	chén mò shì jīn	silence is golden (idiom)
渊默淵默	yuān mò	profound silence
钳马衔枚鉗馬銜枚	qián mǎ xián méi	with horses and soldiers gagged (idiom) / (of a marching army) in utter silence
沉默程序	chén mò chéng xù	silence procedure
沉默表意原则	chén mò biǎo yì yuán zé	estoppel by silence
打破沉默打破沈默		Breaking the Silence
开花開花	kāi huā	to bloom / to blossom / to flower / (fig.) to burst / to split open / (fig.) to burst with joy / (fig.) to spring up everywhere / to flourish	syn
热腾腾熱騰騰	rè téng téng	steaming hot / (fig.) bustling / hectic / (fig.) excited / stirred up / (fig.) created only a short time before / freshly minted / hot off the press / (coll.) also pr. [re4 teng1 teng1]	syn
鬼扯脚鬼扯腳	guǐ chě jiǎo	lit. ghost pulls your leg / involuntary tug of muscles / fig. very unlucky / fig. argumentative / fig. can't help doing it
外溢	wài yì	(of liquid) to spill out / to overflow / (of gas) to leak out / (fig.) to spill over / to spread (to new areas) / (fig.) (of wealth etc) to drain / to flow outward (esp. overseas) / (fig.) (of talent) to show / to be revealed
目光	mù guāng	gaze / (fig.) attention / expression in one's eyes / look / (lit. and fig.) sight / vision	syn
味道	wèi dao	flavor / taste / (fig.) feeling (of ...) / sense (of ...) / hint (of ...) / (fig.) interest / delight / (dialect) smell / odor	syn
塑造	sù zào	to model / to mold / (fig.) to create (a character, a market, an image etc) / (fig.) (literature) to portray (in words)	syn
规矩規矩	guī ju	lit. compass and set square / fig. established standard / rule / customs / practices / fig. upright and honest / well-behaved	syn
发烧發燒	fā shāo	to have a high temperature (from illness) / to have a fever / (fig.) to be fascinated with / to obsess over / (fig.) flourishing / thriving / popular	syn
挂钩掛鉤	guà gōu	to couple / to link / to hook together / (fig.) (preceded by 與\|与[yu3] + {entity}) to establish contact (with {entity}) / (Tw) to collude (with {entity}) / (fig.) to link (marketing efforts with production etc) / to peg (welfare payments to inflation etc) / to tie (remuneration to performance etc) / hook (on which to hang sth) / latch hook / coupling	syn
架空	jià kōng	to build (a hut etc) on stilts / to install (power lines etc) overhead / (fig.) unfounded / impractical / (fig.) to make sb a mere figurehead	syn
出轨出軌	chū guǐ	to be derailed / to go off the rails / (fig.) to overstep the bounds / (fig.) to have an extramarital affair
鱼肉魚肉	yú ròu	flesh of fish / fish and meat / (fig.) victims of oppression / (fig.) to cruelly oppress (i.e. to treat like flesh to be carved up)	syn
封顶封頂	fēng dǐng	to put a roof (on a building) / to cap the roof (finishing a building project) / fig. to put a ceiling (on spending, prize, ambition etc) / to top off / fig. to reach the highest point (of growth, profit, interest rates) / to stop growing (of plant bud or branch)
中招	zhòng zhāo	(martial arts) to get hit / to get taken down / (fig.) to get infected (disease or computer virus) / (fig.) to fall for sb's trap / to be taken in
小白兔	xiǎo bái tù	small white rabbit / (fig.) innocent and naive person / (fig.) (slang) breast
出笼出籠	chū lóng	(of food) to be taken out of the steamer / (fig.) (often used with 紛紛\|纷纷[fen1 fen1]) (of products, information etc) to appear / to emerge / to come out / (fig.) to dump / to inundate the market
松柏	sōng bǎi	pine and cypress / fig. chaste and undefiled / fig. tomb	syn
搅和攪和	jiǎo huo	to mix / to blend / (fig.) to spoil / to mess up things / (fig.) to run around with (sb) / to get involved with / to mix (with other people)	syn
脱胎脫胎	tuō tāi	to be born / (fig.) to develop out of sth else (of ideas, stories, political systems etc) / (fig.) to shed one's body (to be reborn) / bodiless (e.g. lacquerware)
走后门走後門	zǒu hòu mén	(lit.) to enter through the back door / (fig.) to pull strings / to use connections / (fig.) (slang) to have anal sex	syn
瞻前顾后瞻前顧後	zhān qián gù hòu	lit. to look forward and back (idiom) / fig. to consider carefully / to weigh the pros and cons / fig. to be overcautious and indecisive	syn
遮羞布	zhē xiū bù	loincloth / (fig.) fig leaf / CL:塊\|块[kuai4]	syn
矮化	ǎi huà	(plant pathology) to become stunted / (horticulture) to dwarf / to reduce in size (by pruning, breeding etc) / (fig.) to diminish the status of / to disparage / (fig.) to downplay
熔断熔斷	róng duàn	(of fuse wire) to melt / to blow / (fig.) to halt stock trading / (fig.) to suspend an airline from operating flights on a given route (as a penalty, e.g. for bringing in more than a specified number of passengers who test positive for COVID)	syn
浊流濁流	zhuó liú	turbid flow / muddy waters / fig. a contemptible person / fig. corrupt or disgraceful social trends	syn
雏儿雛兒	chú ér	newly hatched bird / fig. inexperienced person / fig. chick (slighting term for young woman) / bimbo	syn
一团漆黑一團漆黑	yī tuán qī hēi	pitch-dark / (fig.) completely in the dark / totally ignorant of / (fig.) grim / beyond salvation	syn
擦边擦邊	cā biān	to make light contact with the edge of sth / (fig.) to be nearly (a certain age) / to be close to (danger) / (fig.) to be marginal (in terms of relevance or legality)
切中要害	qiè zhòng yào hài	to hit the target and do real damage (idiom) / fig. to hit where it hurts / fig. to hit home / an argument that hits the nail on the head
反裘负刍反裘負芻	fǎn qiú fù chú	lit. to wear one's coat inside out and carry firewood on one's back (idiom) / fig. to live a life of poverty and hard work / fig. to act stupidly
夫唱妇随夫唱婦隨	fū chàng fù suí	fig. the man sings and the woman follows / fig. marital harmony	syn
操斧伐柯	cāo fǔ fá kē	(cf Book of Songs) How to fashion an ax handle? You need an ax / fig. to follow a principle / fig. to act as matchmaker
旧瓶装新酒舊瓶裝新酒	jiù píng zhuāng xīn jiǔ	lit. new wine in old bottles / fig. new concepts in an old framework / (loan idiom from Matthew 9:17, but fig. meaning is opposite)
来踪去迹來蹤去跡	lái zōng qù jì	the traces of a person's movements / (fig.) sb's history / (fig.) the ins and out of a matter	syn
伐柯	fá kē	(cf Book of Songs) How to fashion an ax handle? You need an ax / fig. to follow a principle / fig. to act as matchmaker
刺儿刺兒	cì r	a thorn / fig. to ridicule sb / fig. sth wrong
周瑜打黄盖周瑜打黃蓋	zhōu yú dǎ huáng gài	fig. with the connivance of both sides / fig. by mutual consent / cf Wu patriot Huang Gai submits to mock beating at the hands of General Zhou Yu to deceive Cao Cao 曹操[Cao2 Cao1] before the 208 battle of Redcliff 赤壁之戰\|赤壁之战[Chi4 bi4 zhi1 Zhan4]
脱裤子放屁脫褲子放屁	tuō kù zi fàng pì	lit. to take off trousers to fart / fig. to do something absolutely unnecessary / fig. to make things too complicated
西克莫无花果西克莫無花果	xī kè mò wú huā guǒ	sycamore fig / common cluster fig
树高千丈，叶落归根樹高千丈，葉落歸根	shù gāo qiān zhàng , yè luò guī gēn	fig. a tree may grow a thousand zhang high, but its leaves return to their roots (proverb) / fig. everything has its ancestral home / in old age, an expatriate returns home
万箭穿心萬箭穿心	wàn jiàn chuān xīn	lit. to have one's heart pierced by thousands of arrows (idiom) / fig. overcome with sorrow / fig. to lambaste / to rip sb to shreds	syn
回过头来回過頭來	huí guò tóu lái	to turn one's head / to turn around / (fig.) to return (to a previous point) / to come back (to what one was saying before) / (fig.) to look back (in time) / to reflect on the past
火候	huǒ hou	heat control / (fig.) mastery / (fig.) crucial moment	syn
卷铺盖捲鋪蓋	juǎn pū gai	to roll up one's bedding / to pack one's things / (fig.) to quit / (fig.) to get fired / to get the sack	syn
操刀	cāo dāo	to hold a knife / (fig.) (of a surgeon) to perform an operation / (fig.) to personally handle or take charge of a task / to take the reins
放血	fàng xiě	(TCM) to practice bloodletting / (medicine) to perform phlebotomy / (coll.) to make sb bleed / to inflict grievous wounds / (fig.) to cough up a large amount of money / (fig.) to reduce prices drastically
斩获斬獲	zhǎn huò	to kill or capture (in battle) / (fig.) (sports) to score (a goal) / to win (a medal) / (fig.) to reap rewards / to achieve gains
磋磨	cuō mó	to polish and rub / (fig.) to torment / to torture / (fig.) to engage in discussion to hone an idea or skill
总汇總匯	zǒng huì	(of streams) to come together / to converge / confluence / (fig.) compendium / (fig.) aggregation / (in the name of a shop) emporium / (Tw) club sandwich (abbr. for 總匯三明治\|总汇三明治[zong3hui4 san1ming2zhi4])	syn
踩雷	cǎi léi	to step on a mine / (fig.) to inadvertently do sth that has an unpleasant result / (fig.) to be accidentally exposed to a spoiler
首页首頁	shǒu yè	home page (of a website) / title page / front page / first page / fig. beginning / cover letter
运行運行	yùn xíng	(of celestial bodies etc) to move along one's course / (fig.) to function / to be in operation / (of a train service etc) to operate / to run / (of a computer) to run	syn
空间空間	kōng jiān	space / room / (fig.) scope / leeway / (astronomy) outer space / (physics, math.) space	syn
材料	cái liào	(raw) material / data / (fig.) person who has the potential to do the job	syn
不知	bù zhī	not to know / unaware / unknowingly / fig. not to admit (defeat, hardships, tiredness etc)
下来下來	xià lai	to come down / (completed action marker) / (after verb of motion, indicates motion down and towards us, also fig.) / (indicates continuation from the past towards us) / to be harvested (of crops) / to be over (of a period of time) / to go among the masses (said of leaders)	syn
带来帶來	dài lái	to bring / (fig.) to bring about / to produce	syn
价值價值	jià zhí	value / worth / fig. values (ethical, cultural etc) / CL:個\|个[ge4]	syn
启动啟動	qǐ dòng	to start (a machine) / (fig.) to set in motion / to launch (an operation) / to activate (a plan)	syn
掌握	zhǎng wò	to grasp (often fig.) / to control / to seize (initiative, opportunity, destiny) / to master / to know well / to understand sth well and know how to use it / fluency	syn
提升提昇	tí shēng	to promote (to a higher-ranking position) / to lift / to hoist / (fig.) to elevate / to raise / to improve	syn
背景	bèi jǐng	background / backdrop / context / (fig.) powerful backer / CL:種\|种[zhong3]	syn
反映	fǎn yìng	to mirror / to reflect / mirror image / reflection / (fig.) to report / to make known / to render	syn
窗口	chuāng kǒu	window / opening providing restricted access (e.g. customer service window) / computer operating system window / fig. medium / intermediary / showpiece / testing ground
色彩	sè cǎi	tint / coloring / coloration / (fig.) flavor / character	syn
梦想夢想	mèng xiǎng	(fig.) to dream of / dream	syn
动力動力	dòng lì	motive power / (fig.) motivation / impetus
一块一塊	yī kuài	a piece / a chunk / (fig.) (coll.) (typically preceded by a specifier such as 這\|这[zhe4]) aspect / area / dimension (Example: 情感這一塊\|情感这一块[qing2gan3 zhe4 yi1kuai4] "the emotional aspect (of it)") / (coll.) one yuan / a dollar / together / in the same place / in company	syn
白色	bái sè	white / fig. reactionary / anti-communist	syn

The four tones

"fig. to silence" Chinese-English Dictionary

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