心惊胆颤 (xīn jīng dǎn chàn) — to be seized with terror, to tremble in fear

Definition

Literary idiom meaning 'heart startled, gallbladder trembling' — extreme fear. 颤 (chàn) and 战 (zhàn) are variant spellings of the same idiom; the more common form is 战.

idiom

to be seized with terrorto tremble in fear

Examples

，心惊胆颤。
Tīng dào nà ge kǒng bù de gù shi, tā xià dé xīn jīng dǎn chàn.
Hearing that horror story, she was scared out of her wits.
，心惊胆颤。
Zǒu zài nà tiáo qī hēi de lù shang, wǒ bù jīn xīn jīng dǎn chàn.
Walking down that pitch-black road, I couldn't help trembling with fear.
，心惊胆颤。
Tā zhàn zài xuán yá biān shàng, gǎn dào xīn jīng dǎn chàn.
Standing on the edge of the cliff, he felt his heart pound with terror.

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.