seal one's lips; silence someone
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
2 senses · 6 examplesverb
to seal one's lips; to stop talking; to keep silent
Often used when advising someone not to reveal information or to keep a secret temporarily. Can be used as a separable verb (封住嘴).
Xiān先
bù不
yào要
fēng封
zuǐ嘴
，
zài再
kǎo考
lǜ虑
yī一
xià下
。
Don't commit to silence just yet; think it over again.
Zhè这
jiàn件
shì事
zàn暂
shí时
yào要
fēng封
zuǐ嘴
，
bù不
néng能
duì对
wài外
shuō说
。
We need to keep this matter under wraps for now and not tell outsiders.
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Tā他
men们
yuē约
dìng定
zài在
méi媒
tǐ体
qián前
fēng封
zuǐ嘴
。
They agreed to remain silent in front of the media.
verb
to silence someone; to prevent someone from speaking; to gag (figuratively)
Often implies an attempt to suppress dissent, criticism, or unfavorable information. Can be used with the separable structure 封住/封上...的嘴.
Tā他
xiǎng想
fēng封
zhù住
wǒ我
de的
zuǐ嘴
，
bàn办
bù不
dào到
。
He wants to shut me up, but he won't succeed.
Huā花
qián钱
yě也
bù不
néng能
fēng封
zhù住
suǒ所
yǒu有
rén人
de的
zuǐ嘴
。
You can't silence everyone even with money.
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Tā他
men们
shì试
tú图
fēng封
zuǐ嘴
，
dàn但
xiāo消
xi息
hái还
shì是
chuán传
kāi开
le了
。
They tried to keep it under wraps, but the news still got out.