杳无音信

杳無音信

yǎowúyīnxìn

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

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.

那位老朋友多年杳无音信，忽然来信了。

Nà wèi lǎo péngyou duō nián yǎowúyīnxìn, hūrán lái xìn le.

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

救援队进山以后就杳无音信。

Jiùyuánduì jìn shān yǐhòu jiù yǎowúyīnxìn.

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

Tips

history

From Huang Xiaomai'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