石沉大海
shí chén dà hǎi
to vanish without trace; to get no reply
Character by character
石shí
stone
stone
沉chén
sinks
sinks
大dà
great
great
海hǎi
sea
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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