扣人心弦 (kòu rén xīn xián) — thrilling; gripping; exciting (of a story, performance, match, etc.)
Definition
A set phrase meaning 'gripping, thrilling' — used for stories, performances, or matches that pull at the audience's emotions. Stronger than 激动 ('excited' describes the person); pair with 惊心动魄 for 'heart-stopping' scenes.
phrase
thrillinggrippingexciting (of a story, performance, match, etc.)
Examples
- 扣人心弦，。Zhè chǎng zú qiú jué sài kòu rén xīn xián, guān zhòng dōu jī dòng dé zhàn le qǐ lái.This football final was gripping, and the audience stood up in excitement.
- 扣人心弦，。Nà bù diàn yǐng kòu rén xīn xián, měi gè qíng jié dōu ràng rén jǐn zhāng.That movie was thrilling; every plot point made people nervous.
- 扣人心弦，。Tā xiě le yí bù kòu rén xīn xián de xiǎo shuō, dú zhě dōu fēi cháng xǐ huan.He wrote a gripping novel that readers all loved very much.
Appears in
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