Definition
This chengyu (four-character idiom) literally means 'heart startled, gallbladder trembles' — it describes a state of extreme fear or terror, as if your entire body is shaking from fright. You can use it as a predicate (subject + 心惊胆战) or as an adverbial modifier (心惊胆战地 + verb). Unlike 害怕 (general fear), 心惊胆战 emphasizes the physical and emotional intensity of the reaction.
f.e.
trembling with fearextremely frightenedterrified
Examples
- ，心惊胆战。Tīng dào nà ge xiāoxi, tā xià de xīn jīng dǎn zhàn.When he heard that news, he was so scared he trembled with fear.
- ，心惊胆战。Zǒu zài xuányá biān shang, wǒ xīn jīng dǎn zhàn de bù gǎn wǎng xià kàn.Walking along the cliff edge, I was too terrified to look down.
- 心惊胆战。Nà bù kǒngbù diànyǐng ràng rén kàn de xīn jīng dǎn zhàn.That horror movie made people watch it with trembling fear.
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