杳无音信

杳無音信

yǎowú-yīnxìn

idiom #36,479

Meanings

1 to have had no news whatever
2 all word and sign have vanished

Characters

distant; faint; vanished

letter; message

Examples

HSK 2

他出国后就杳无音信。

Tā chūguó hòu jiù yǎowúyīnxìn.

Since he went abroad, there has been no word from him at all.

HSK 4

那位老朋友多年杳无音信，忽然来信了。

Nàwèi lǎopéngyou duōnián yǎowúyīnxìn, hūrán láixìn le.

That old friend, after years of silence, suddenly sent a letter.

HSK 6

救援队进山以后就杳无音信。

Jiùyuán duì jìn shān yǐhòu jiù yǎowúyīnxìn.

Since the rescue team entered the mountains, there has been no news at all.

Tips

history

From 黄孝迈's Song-dynasty ci poem 《咏水仙》: 惊鸿去后，轻抛素袜，杳无音信 - the startled swan has flown, the silken stockings cast aside, no news at all. The 杳 evokes distance and darkness, like something lost to dusk.

usage

Specifically about a person (or a sent party - letter, expedition, inquiry) from whom all communication has ceased. Stronger than just 没消息 (no news), 杳 adds a sense of being swallowed by vastness.

Stroke Order

杳 yǎo

无 wú

音 yīn

信 xìn