不寒而栗 (bù hán ér lì) — to shudder with fear; to be terrified (lit. 'shiver without being cold')
Definition
A literary chengyu meaning 'to shudder with fear even though not cold' — vivid, intense terror from something deeply disturbing, not casual fright.
idiom
to shudder with fearto be terrified (lit. 'shiver without being cold')
Examples
- ，不寒而栗。Tīng dào nà ge kǒng bù de gù shi, tā gǎn dào bù hán ér lì.Hearing that horror story, he felt a chill of fear.
- ，不寒而栗。Miàn duì rú cǐ cán rěn de zuì xíng, suǒ yǒu rén dōu bù hán ér lì.Faced with such cruel crimes, everyone shuddered with fear.
- 不寒而栗。Tā nà zhǒng yīn lěng de xiào róng ràng rén bù hán ér lì.That cold, sinister smile of his made people tremble with fear.
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