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石沉大海

shí chén dà hǎi

to vanish without trace; to get no reply

Character by character

石shí
stone
沉chén
sinks
大dà
great
海hǎi
sea

Example

我投了十几份简历,都石沉大海了。
I sent out a dozen CVs and never heard back.

Tone: neutral.

Usage and origin

The everyday phrase for unanswered applications and messages.

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