陷入 meaning in English

xiànrù

to sink into; to get caught up in

HSK 6verb12 strokes

Meaning of 陷入

Definitions from CC-CEDICT.

xiànrù

to sink into
to get caught up in
to land in (a predicament)

How to use 陷入

陷入 is used for falling into a bad or difficult state, such as trouble, silence, crisis, or deep thought. It usually takes an abstract noun as its object and sounds fairly formal. Example: 公司陷入了危机。(Gōngsī xiànrù le wēijī.) The company fell into a crisis.

陷 (xiàn) means a pit or trap, and 入 (rù) means to enter. Picture someone stepping into a hidden pit and sinking in, which is exactly what 陷入 describes.

Common mistake: Learners often confuse 陷入 with 深入 (shēnrù). 深入 means going deep in a positive or neutral way, like thorough research, while 陷入 means getting stuck in something unwanted. Also watch the tone: 陷 is fourth tone xiàn, not third tone xiǎn.

陷入 in example sentences

Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.

那nà场chǎng事shì故gù让ràng我wǒ们men陷xiàn入rù了le不bù寻xún常cháng的de局jú势shì。

We were faced with an unusual situation because of the accident.

他tā发fā言yán完wán后hòu，大dà家jiā陷xiàn入rù了le沉chén默mò。

When he finished speaking, everyone was silent.

他tā故gù意yì令lìng她tā陷xiàn入rù险xiǎn境jìng。

He deliberately exposed her to danger.

你nǐ在zài陷xiàn入rù困kùn境jìng。

You're getting into deep water.

当dāng我wǒ在zài错cuò误wù的de时shí候hòu开kāi口kǒu时shí，我wǒ总zǒng是shì让ràng我wǒ和hé我wǒ的de朋péng友yǒu陷xiàn入rù困kùn境jìng。

When I speak up at the wrong moment, I often get my friends and myself into difficult situations.

Stroke order for each character

Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.

陷 xiàn · pitfall · 10 strokes

入 rù · to enter · 2 strokes

Related words

Words that share a character with 陷入.

进入	jìnrù	to enter; to go into
收入	shōurù	to take in; income
入口	rùkǒu	entrance; to import
深入	shēnrù	to penetrate deeply; thorough
输入	shūrù	to import; to input
加入	jiārù	to become a member; to join
投入	tóurù	to throw into; to put into
列入	lièrù	to include on a list
入门	rùmén	entrance door; to enter a door
融入	róngrù	to blend into; to integrate
缺陷	quēxiàn	defect; flaw
出入	chūrù	to go out and come in; entrance and exit

Questions about 陷入

What does 陷入 mean?

陷入 (xiànrù) means "to sink into; to get caught up in" and is used as a verb.

How do you write 陷入?

陷入 is made of 2 characters: 陷 (10 strokes), 入 (2 strokes). That is 12 strokes in total.

Is 陷入 an HSK word?

Yes. 陷入 is on the HSK 6 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.

Can 陷入 be used for positive things?

Mostly no. It usually goes with negative or heavy states like 困境 (kùnjìng, a predicament) or 混乱 (hùnluàn, chaos). A common exception is 陷入沉思 (xiànrù chénsī, to be lost in thought), which is neutral.

What is the difference between 陷入 and 进入?

进入 (jìnrù) simply means to enter a place or stage, like 进入大学 (to enter university). 陷入 adds the feeling of being trapped and unable to get out easily.