Chinese idiom · 成语
万籁俱寂
Meaning
All sounds fall silent; profound stillness.
Character by character
Origin and story
poetic expressionChang Jian's Tang poem about the meditation rooms behind Poshan Temple follows a visitor into an old temple at dawn. A path leads into secluded flowers and trees; mountain light delights the birds, and a pool's reflection quiets the mind. The closing lines say that the many sounds have become still, leaving only the temple's bell and chime. This poetic quiet is not an absence of every vibration: a few distant sounds make the surrounding stillness more perceptible. The idiom condenses that atmosphere. Lai had already been used in Zhuangzi for kinds of sound, but the temple poem supplies the closer verbal antecedent.
Sources and further reading
In everyday life
凌晨的山村万籁俱寂，远处偶尔传来几声犬吠。
The mountain village was utterly still before dawn, with only an occasional dog barking in the distance.
Literary description of deep surrounding quiet; a faint isolated sound can heighten the effect.