瞠目结舌 (chēng mù jiē) — be wide-eyed and tongue-tied; dumbfounded

Definition

A four-character idiom describing extreme astonishment — eyes wide open (瞠目) and tongue tied in speechlessness (结舌). Stronger and more literary than everyday words like 惊讶.

idiom

be wide-eyed and tongue-tieddumbfounded

Examples

，瞠目结舌。
Tīng dào zhè ge jīng rén de xiāo xi, dà jiā dōu bù jīn chēng mù jiē.
Upon hearing this shocking news, everyone couldn't help but be dumbfounded.
瞠目结舌。
Tā de huí dá ràng zài chǎng de suǒ yǒu rén chēng mù jiē.
His answer left everyone present wide-eyed and tongue-tied.
，瞠目结舌，。
Kàn dào nà fú huà, wǒ jīng yà dé chēng mù jiē, shuō bù chū huà lái.
Seeing that painting, I was so astonished that I was dumbfounded and speechless.

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