石沉大海

shíchén-dàhǎi
idiom #98,075

Meanings

  1. 1 like a stone sinking into the sea - to elicit no response
  2. 2 (of a message, application etc.) to vanish without trace

Examples

Wǒ fā le shíjǐ fēng yóujiàn, dōu shíchén-dàhǎi.
I sent over ten emails and got no reply from any of them.
Tā de jiǎnlì tóu chūqu yǐhòu shíchén-dàhǎi.
After he sent off his résumé, it vanished without a trace.
Nà cì qiúzhù rú shíchén-dàhǎi, zàiyě méi xiāoxi le.
That plea for help sank like a stone in the sea, and there was never any news again.

Tips

history
From Wang Shifu's Yuan-dynasty play 《西厢记》 (Romance of the Western Chamber), Act IV: 若是不来石沉大海 - 'If he doesn't come, it's like a stone sunk in the ocean.' A heroine's complaint about an unanswered letter - the modern usage is unchanged.
usage
Always about something sent out that gets no response - letters, applications, proposals, messages. Not used for physical objects that are lost; for that, use 杳无音信.

Stroke Order

shí
chén
hǎi