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.
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