鸦雀无声
yā què wú shēng
not a sound to be heard; utter silence
Character by character
鸦yā
crow
crow
雀què
sparrow
sparrow
无wú
no
no
声shēng
sound
sound
Example
校长走上台，刚才还吵吵闹闹的礼堂立刻鸦雀无声。
The head walked onto the stage, and the hall, noisy a moment before, fell completely silent.
Tone: neutral.
Usage and origin
Not even a crow or a sparrow makes a sound: a place full of people falls silent. Typical frames are 顿时鸦雀无声 and 全场鸦雀无声. Use it for crowds, not for an empty room.
Learn this in Lesson 17 · HSK 5: 中学生的一天 (A school day in China)
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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