万籁俱寂
wàn lài jù jì
all is silent; not a sound to be heard
Character by character
万wàn
ten thousand
ten thousand
籁lài
sounds
sounds
俱jù
all
all
寂jì
silent
silent
Example
深夜的山村万籁俱寂，只听得见远处几声狗叫。
Deep in the night the mountain village was utterly still; only a few dogs could be heard barking far away.
Tone: neutral.
Usage and origin
籁 was first a reed pipe, then any sound of nature. Literary, for night, mountains or snow: 夜深人静，万籁俱寂. Writers often follow it with a single sound that makes the silence felt (只听见…). In speech: 静悄悄的, 一点儿声音也没有.
Learn this in Lesson 178 · HSK 7–9: 中国天眼 (China’s Sky Eye)
A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. The first lessons of every level are free.
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