Writing
沉默 (chénmò) — how to say "to be silent" in Chinese
沉默
To be silent; silence
verb
Character composition
沉
to sink
默
silent
Radicals / Keys
水
Water
#85 · shuǐ · 4 strokes
黑
Black
#203 · hēi · 12 strokes
Collocations
保持沉默
bǎochí chénmò
remain silent
沉默片刻
chénmò piànkè
be silent for a moment
Examples
当老师问谁愿意回答问题时，教室里出现了一阵短暂的沉默。
When the teacher asked who wanted to answer the question, there was a brief silence in the classroom.
保持沉默。
Remain silent.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say "to be silent" in Chinese?
"to be silent" in Chinese is 沉默 (chénmò).
沉默 meaning in English
沉默 (chénmò) means "To be silent; silence".
How is 沉默 pronounced?
It is pronounced chénmò (written as chenmo). You can listen to the pronunciation on this page.
How do you write "to be silent" in Chinese characters?
It is written 沉默: 沉 has 7 strokes, 默 has 16 strokes. The Writing section above animates the stroke order of each character and lets you trace it.
What HSK level is 沉默?
沉默 belongs to the HSK 5 vocabulary list.
Tomyo
Learn Chinese words with spaced repetition
Add 沉默 to your vocabulary and remember it with smart reviews, audio and examples.