sink in

1. 渗入

If the ink sinks in, it'll be hard to remove the spot from the cloth.

如果墨水渗入布料, 就很难把污迹洗去。

2. 被理解; 被理会; 被听进去

It finally sank in that he had won a Nobel prize.

他终于明白过来他得了诺贝尔奖。

It took a week for it to sink in that his mother had died.

大约过了一个星期, 他才明白过来他母亲已经死了。

sink into

1. 插入

He sank the knife into her back.

他把刀子插入她的背部。

sink or swim

1. 成败全靠自己

He was left by his family to sink or swim by himself.

他遭家人遗弃, 一切得靠自己。