鸦雀无声
- Literal
- crows and sparrows without a sound
- Figurative
- Utter silence, so quiet you could hear a pin drop; usually said of a place full of people, whether it falls silent at once or stays hushed.
Where does 鸦雀无声 come from?
It doesn't come from any particular story: the image explains itself. Crows (鸦) and sparrows (雀) are among the most common and noisiest birds around houses, forever cawing and chirping; if even they fall quiet, the silence is complete. Curiously, the idiom today is rarely about birds at all: it is used of people, of a classroom, a hall, or a meeting where no one says a word, out of tension, respect, or concentration (考场里鸦雀无声). When the silence falls all at once, it often comes with words such as 顿时 or 一下子.
How is 鸦雀无声 used? Two examples
- 考试开始后，教室里鸦雀无声，只听得见写字的沙沙声。
Once the exam began, the classroom was dead silent except for the scratching of pens.
- 经理宣布要裁员，会议室里一下子鸦雀无声。
When the manager announced layoffs, the meeting room fell completely silent.
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