Meaning of 沉重
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- heavy
- hard
- serious
- critical
How to use 沉重
沉重 describes physical weight, but it is used even more for emotional or abstract burdens like a heavy heart, a heavy task, or a serious blow. It often appears before nouns such as 心情 (xīnqíng), 负担 (fùdān), and 打击 (dǎjī). Example: 他的心情很沉重。(Tā de xīnqíng hěn chénzhòng.) He feels very heavy-hearted.
沉 (chén) means to sink, and 重 (zhòng) means heavy. Something so heavy that it sinks is 沉重, a weight that pulls you down, either on your body or on your heart.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes read 重 here as chóng, as in 重新 (chóngxīn). In 沉重 it is always zhòng, fourth tone. Also, 沉重 sounds formal and emotional, so for an everyday heavy bag just say 很重 (hěn zhòng).
沉重 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
沉 chén · to submerge · 7 strokes
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重 zhòng · heavy · 9 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 沉重.
| 重要 | zhòngyào | important; significant; major |
| 重新 | chóngxīn | again; once more; re- |
| 重复 | chóngfù | to repeat; to duplicate |
| 重点 | zhòngdiǎn | to recount (e.g. results of election); to re-evaluate |
| 重视 | zhòngshì | to attach importance to sth; to value |
| 重大 | zhòngdà | great; important |
| 严重 | yánzhòng | grave; serious; severe; critical |
| 沉默 | chénmò | taciturn; uncommunicative |
| 重量 | zhòngliàng | weight |
| 体重 | tǐzhòng | body weight |
| 尊重 | zūnzhòng | to esteem; to respect |
| 注重 | zhùzhòng | to pay attention to; to emphasize |
Questions about 沉重
What does 沉重 mean?
沉重 (chénzhòng) means "heavy; hard" and is used as a adjective.
How do you write 沉重?
沉重 is made of 2 characters: 沉 (7 strokes), 重 (9 strokes). That is 16 strokes in total.
Is 沉重 an HSK word?
Yes. 沉重 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 沉重 and 严重?
严重 (yánzhòng) means serious or severe and is used for problems, illnesses, or situations. 沉重 stresses a feeling of weight or burden, like a heavy heart or a heavy responsibility. You say 问题很严重 for a serious problem, but 心情很沉重 for a heavy mood.
Can 沉重 be used as an adverb?
Yes, with 地 (de) it can describe how an action is done. For example, 他沉重地说 (tā chénzhòng de shuō) means he said it heavily or gravely. This is common in written stories and news.