Usage note
沉默表示不说话。
chén mò biǎo shì bù shuō huà。
沉默 means silence or not speaking.
Context note
沉默常用于情绪、场合和反应。
chén mò cháng yòng yú qíng xù 、 chǎng hé hé fǎn yìng。
It is often used for emotions, situations, and reactions.
5 examples
他沉默了一会儿。
tā chén mò le yí huì er。
He was silent for a while.
她选择了沉默。
tā xuǎn zé le chén mò。
She chose silence.
大家都很沉默。
dà jiā dōu hěn chén mò。
Everyone was very silent.
沉默不代表同意。
chén mò bú dài biǎo tóng yì。
Silence does not mean agreement.
房间里一片沉默。
fáng jiān lǐ yí piàn chén mò。
The room was completely silent.
5 mini stories
听到这个消息后，他沉默了。
tīng dào zhè ge xiāo xī hòu， tā chén mò le。
After hearing the news, he was silent.
她在沉默中思考。
tā zài chén mò zhōng sī kǎo。
She thought in silence.
老师看到大家都很沉默。
lǎo shī kàn dào dà jiā dōu hěn chén mò。
The teacher saw that everyone was very silent.
沉默有时候也能表达想法。
chén mò yǒu shí hòu yě néng biǎo dá xiǎng fǎ。
Silence can sometimes express thoughts too.
他长久的沉默让人担心。
tā cháng jiǔ de chén mò ràng rén dān xīn。
His long silence made people worried.
Mini dialogue
图书馆里
A
嘘，请保持沉默，这里是图书馆。
Xū, qǐng bǎochí chénmò, zhèlǐ shì túshūguǎn.
Shh, please remain silent. This is a library.
B
对不起，我会安静的。
Duìbuqǐ, wǒ huì ānjìng de.
Sorry, I will be quiet.
朋友不开心
A
你今天怎么一直沉默不说话？
Nǐ jīntiān zěnme yīzhí chénmò bù shuōhuà?
Why have you been silent and not talking today?
B
我有点难过，不想说话。
Wǒ yǒudiǎn nánguò, bù xiǎng shuōhuà.
I'm a little sad and don't feel like talking.
Related words and contrasts
similar
安静
ānjìng
quiet; peaceful
Describes a quiet environment or person, but not always as deep as 沉默.
similar
不说话
bù shuōhuà
not speaking
A simple, everyday way to say someone is not talking.
opposite
吵闹
chǎonào
noisy
Loud and full of noise, the opposite of 沉默.