惊

驚
jīng
#658 most
frequent character
to shock
verb

Character breakdown

Source: Make Me a Hanzi.

惊 first meant 'to be sad', with 忄 heart as the meaning part and 京 jīng as the sound part. The sense 'frightened' was borrowed for the sound, not from the shape. From 'frightened' came 'startled', 'shocked', and 'amazed'.

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Example Sentences

这部电影真的让我惊讶。
zhè bù diànyǐng zhēnde ràng wǒ jīngyà 。
This movie really shocked me.
听到这个消息，我感到很惊讶。
tīngdào zhègè xiāoxī ， wǒ gǎndào hěn jīngyà 。
I was shocked to hear this news.
他突然出现，真是让我惊了一跳。
tā tūrán chūxiàn ， zhēnshì ràng wǒ jīng le yītiào 。
He appeared suddenly, which really shocked me.

Words with similar meanings

惊讶jīngyà
to be surprised
More commonly used to express a sense of surprise rather than shock.
震惊zhènjīng
to be astonished
Implies a more intense reaction than '惊', often used for more dramatic news.

Words Starting With 惊

惊动jīng dòng
alarm; alert; disturb
惊奇jīng qí
to be amazed; to be surprised; to wonder
惊讶jīng yà
amazed; astonished; to surprise; amazing; astonishment; awe

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