吃
惊

About

The word 吃惊 is formed by combining the character 吃, meaning "to eat", with 惊, meaning "surprise". Here, 吃 is used figuratively to denote "receiving" or "experiencing", so the compound literally conveys "to eat surprise", but functions as an idiomatic expression meaning "to be surprised".

Example Sentences Hide

他的表现让人吃惊。

Tā de biǎoxiàn ràng rén chījīng.

His performance is surprising.

我吃惊地张大了嘴。

Wǒ chījīng de zhāngdàle zuǐ.

I opened my mouth wide in surprise.

这个消息令所有人吃惊。

Zhège xiāoxi lìng suǒyǒu rén chījīng.

This news surprised everyone.

对于他的决定，我感到十分吃惊。

Duìyú tā de juédìng, wǒ gǎndào shífēn chījīng.

I feel very surprised by his decision.

她突然出现，使大家吃惊不已。

Tā tūrán chūxiàn, shǐ dàjiā chījīng bùyǐ.

Her sudden appearance made everyone extremely surprised.

Word Definition - 吃惊

chī jīng to be startled; to be shocked; to be amazed

Individual Character Details

吃 chī, chī
惊 jīng