Poets heard the weak cry of the
寒蝉 as the sound of a bleak autumn:
柳永's ci
寒蝉凄切, to the tune
雨霖铃, is named after its opening words, 'the cold cicadas cry mournfully'. A cicada falls silent in the cold, so
噤若寒蝉 'as mute as a cicada in winter' describes people too afraid to speak.
