Definition
令人发指 is a Chinese idiom (成语) that literally means 'makes one's hair stand on end' — an ancient expression for extreme anger or outrage. You use it to describe actions, scenes, or behaviors that are so shocking and cruel they provoke a visceral sense of fury. It's a four-character set phrase typically used as a predicate (subject + 令人发指) or attributive (令人发指的 + noun).
f.e.
to make one's blood boilto be outragedextremely infuriating
Examples
- 令人发指。Zhè zhǒng cánbào de xíngwéi shízài lìng rén fà zhǐ.This kind of brutal behavior is truly outrageous.
- 令人发指，。Tā jūrán zuòchū rúcǐ lìng rén fà zhǐ de shìqing, dàjiā dōu wúfǎ yuánliàng.He actually did such an infuriating thing that no one could forgive him.
- 令人发指。Dāngnián zhànzhēng de cǎnzhuàng lìng suǒyǒu jiànzhèngzhě lìng rén fà zhǐ.The horrors of the war back then made all witnesses seethe with anger.
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