噤 (jìn) - to shut up & to keep silent
噤 · jìn
to shut up;
to keep silent;
to be unable to speak due to cold or fear;
to shiver.
to shut upto keep silentto be unable to speak due to cold
Usage highlights
keep silentshiver with coldas silent as a cicada in cold weatherunable to speakclose one's mouthshiver with fear
Usage & contexts
Examples
- The cold made him shiver (冷得他直打寒噤).
- She kept silent out of fear (她吓得噤若寒蝉).
- The shocking news left everyone speechless (这消息令人噤声).
- He was so cold his teeth chattered (他冻得噤口不言).
Collocations
- keep silent(噤声)
- shiver with cold(寒噤)
- as silent as a cicada in cold weather(噤若寒蝉)
- unable to speak(噤口)
- close one's mouth(闭噤)
- shiver with fear(惊噤)
Idioms
- As silent as a cicada in cold weather(噤若寒蝉)
- Not daring to utter a word(噤口不言)
- Tongue-tied and unable to speak(噤舌不言)
Cultural background
FAQ- The character 噤 often appears in classical Chinese literature to describe a state of enforced or fearful silence.
- The idiom 噤若寒蝉 is a classical allusion comparing someone too scared to speak to a cicada that stops chirping in cold weather.
- It conveys a sense of restraint, often under social or political pressure, reflecting traditional values of caution and circumspection.