惊 (jīng) — to startle, to alarm (someone); to be startled, to be frightened; (of animals) to be spooked, to stampede
Definition
惊 (jīng) is the verb root meaning 'to startle' or 'to be startled' — the startled half of a pair, not the same as frightening someone on purpose. It commonly combines with other verbs (惊动, 惊讶, 惊慌) to form compound words.
verb
to startleto alarm (someone)to be startledto be frightened(of animals) to be spookedto stampede
Easily confused
- 掠lüèlook-aliketo plunder, to loot (as in 掠夺)
- 经jīngsound-aliketo pass through; to go through (a place, time, or experience)
- 谅liànglook-alike(bound form, in 原谅, 谅解) to forgive; to understand
- 精jīngsound-alikeskilled; proficient; refined (of ability)
- 琼qiónglook-alike(bound form) fine jade; jade-like (in literary compounds)
- 京jīngsound-alikecapital (of a country) — used in names of capital cities
Examples
- 。Zhè ge xiāo xi jīng dòng le suǒ yǒu rén.This news alarmed everyone.
- 惊，。Zhàn mǎ jīng le, kuáng bēn qǐ lái.The war horse was spooked and bolted.
- 惊，。Tā méi yǒu bèi jīng dǎo, fǎn ér gèng lěng jìng le.She wasn't frightened; instead she became calmer.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.
惊 is made from 忄 (heart) and 京, which gives the sound.
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