沉 chén to sink
to sink; to submerge; profound; deep; to immerse; heavy
How to remember 沉: 氵 water + 冗 excessive = to sink. Cold water pours over the side because the fisherman loaded an excessive pile of crates, and his little boat starts to sink.
Component breakdown
沉 = 氵 water + 冗 excessive
- 氵 water
- 冗 excessive
Cold water pours over the side because the fisherman loaded an excessive pile of crates, and his little boat starts to sink.
How it is used
- Literal verb "to sink": 船沉了 chuán chén le, "the ship sank" - used for physical objects going under water.
- Extends metaphorically to "heavy, deep, profound" in mood and personality words: 沉重 chénzhòng describes a heavy burden or somber mood (心情沉重, a heavy heart), while 沉默 chénmò describes silence - either as a personality trait (taciturn) or a momentary hush in a conversation.
- 沉默 (a person choosing not to speak, or an awkward silence) is a more loaded word than plain 安静 ānjìng (just "quiet"), which carries no implication of withholding speech.
- 沉思 chénsī "to ponder deeply" and 沉浸 chénjìn "to be immersed (in a mood, activity, or story)" both use the "sink deep into" metaphor productively.
Words with 沉
- 沉默chénmòtaciturnHSK 5
- 沉重chénzhòngheavyHSK 6
- 沉思chénsīto contemplateHSK 9
- 沉浸chénjìnto soakHSK 9
- 沉淀chéndiànto settleHSK 9
- 沉甸甸chéndiàndiànheavyHSK 9
- 沉着chénzhuósteadyHSK 9
- 沉睡chénshuìto be fast asleepHSK 9
- 沉稳chénwěnsteadyHSK 9
- 沉迷chénmíto be engrossedHSK 9
- 沉闷chénmènoppressive (of weather)HSK 9
- 消沉xiāochénto sink into despondencyHSK 9
- 深沉shēnchéndeepHSK 9
Example sentences
- 天气阴沉。 Tiānqì yīnchén.The weather is cloudy.