1
the sinking of [noun]
用于具体物体的沉没。
The sinking of the Titanic was a tragedy.
泰坦尼克号的沉没是一场悲剧。
下沉；沉没
先理解核心含义，再看它在真实句子里的用法。
下沉；沉没
a descent through liquid, especially water
The sinking of the Titanic was a tragedy.
泰坦尼克号的沉没是一场悲剧。
下沉(尤其是通过水)
a descent as through liquid (especially through water)
缓慢下降或衰退
a slow fall or decline (as for lack of strength)
由不安或忧虑引起的感觉
a feeling caused by uneasiness or apprehension
The sinking of the wooden boat took only a few minutes.
木船的沉没只用了几分钟。
The slow sinking of the company into debt was hard to watch.
公司慢慢陷入债务的过程令人不忍直视。
She felt a sinking in her stomach when the teacher called her name.
当老师叫到她的名字时，她感到胃里一阵不安。
用于具体物体的沉没。
The sinking of the Titanic was a tragedy.
泰坦尼克号的沉没是一场悲剧。
用于抽象事物的下降。
The country experienced a sinking economy.
这个国家经历了经济衰退。
固定搭配，表示不安或沮丧的感觉。
She had a sinking feeling that she forgot something.
她有一种不祥的预感，觉得忘了什么东西。
Not this
The sink of the Titanic was tragic.
Use this
The sinking of the Titanic was tragic.
sink 作为名词指厨房水槽，而“沉没”应用名词 sinking。这里混淆了同形异义词。
Not this
I felt sinking in my stomach.
Use this
I felt a sinking in my stomach.
在此语境中，sinking 是可数名词，需用冠词 a。中文常用“觉得下沉”省略冠词，导致错误。
Focus on the distinctions below. Other candidates are kept compact until a reliable usage note is available.
一种不祥的预感；心里一沉
When she saw the test scores, she had a sinking feeling.
当她看到考试成绩时，心里一沉。
正在下沉的船
The captain ordered everyone to leave the sinking ship.
船长命令所有人离开正在下沉的船。
持续下滑的经济
A sinking economy forces many families to cut spending.
经济持续下滑迫使许多家庭削减开支。
一阵虚弱；突然的体力不支
She had a sinking spell after the long hike.
长途徒步后，她一阵虚弱。
一种不祥的预感；心往下沉的感觉
I had a sinking feeling that I had forgotten something important.
我有一种不祥的预感，觉得自己忘了什么重要的东西。
（比喻）注定失败的事业；正在崩坏的局面
Investors quickly abandoned the sinking ship.
投资者很快抛弃了这艘正在沉没的船。
像老鼠逃离沉船一样；树倒猢狲散
When the scandal broke, staff fled the company like rats leaving a sinking ship.
丑闻曝光后，员工们像老鼠逃离沉船一样纷纷离开公司。
Use sinking naturally, then get feedback on meaning, tone, grammar, and phrasing.
Revisit a common error or keep this word in your review list.
想象一滴ink（墨水）滴进水里，墨点慢慢向下沉——sinking就是“下沉”，也用来形容心里那种下沉般的不安。
语域：mixed 常见场景：船只沉没或物体入水的报道、力量、价格或质量缓慢下降的讨论、表达不安或不祥预感的口语 该名词的语体随义项略有不同：指船只沉没或物体下沉时较中性，常见于新闻报道；指力量、价格等的缓慢衰退时多用于书面或正式表述；表达不安或不祥预感时（如 a sinking feeling）在日常口语中比较常见。
常指水面上的下沉或情绪上的低落感
Dictionary facts from ECDICT, WIKTIONARY, WORDNET.