吃惊 (chī jīng) — to be startled, shocked, or amazed | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A common verb meaning 'to be startled or shocked', used for everyday surprise. 大吃一惊 is the stronger, set-phrase form ('greatly shocked'). 震惊 is more formal and literary, often for major events.

verb

to be startledshockedor amazed

Examples

，吃惊。
Tīng dào zhè ge xiāo xi, wǒ hěn chī jīng.
Hearing this news, I was very shocked.
100，。
Tā dé le 100 fēn, ràng wǒ dà chī yì jīng.
He got 100 points, which made me greatly startled.
吃惊，。
Bié chī jīng, zhè zhǐ shì gè xiǎo wèn tí.
Don't be shocked; it's just a small problem.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

吃chīundergo

吃惊 combines undergo and shock to mean be startled.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

口乞吃

Meaning part形符xíngfú

口口kǒumouth

Sound part声符shēngfú

乞

乞qǐ吃chī

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

吃 combines 口 (mouth) with 乞, which gives the sound; it originally wrote a word meaning to stutter.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

忄京惊

Meaning part形符xíngfú

忄Written in full as心xīnheart

Sound part声符shēngfú

京

京jīng惊jīng

Same sound today

惊 is made from 忄 (heart) and 京, which gives the sound.

Appears in

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