鸦雀无声

Pronunciation: yā què wú shēng Literal meaning: Crows and sparrows without sound

Origin & Usage

This idiom describes a scene where even crows (鸦) and sparrows (雀) make no (无) sound (声). These common birds are normally noisy, so their silence indicates extreme quiet. The phrase appeared in texts describing solemn occasions, tense moments, or places of deep concentration. It represents perfect silence where even ambient noise disappears. Modern usage describes complete silence in normally noisy settings, often indicating attention, tension, or solemnity.

Examples

English: "The audience fell completely silent when the speaker began."

Chinese: 演讲者开始时，观众鸦雀无声。