震 (zhèn) — to shake, to vibrate, to jolt; to be shocked, to be stunned
Definition
震 is a literary verb covering both physical shaking (earthquakes, thunder) and the shock/stunning effect on people. 震动 and 振动 are more physical/technical, while 震惊 is the closer match for the figurative 'shocked' sense.
verb
to shaketo vibrateto joltto be shockedto be stunned
Examples
- 震。Dì zhèn shí zhěng dòng lóu dōu zài zhèn.The whole building was shaking during the earthquake.
- 震。Tā de yǎn jiǎng zhèn zhù le suǒ yǒu tīng zhòng.His speech stunned all the listeners.
- ，震。Yī shēng léi xiǎng, chuāng hu dōu bèi zhèn dé fā chàn.A thunderclap shook the windows so they rattled.
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.
震 combines 雨 (rain) with 辰 (chén), which gives the sound; 雨 is the part associated with the character’s meaning.
Appears in
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