大吃一惊

大吃一驚

dàchī-yījīng

idiom HSK 7-9 #6,056

Meanings

1 to be greatly shocked
2 to be taken aback

Characters

to suffer; to receive

shock; surprise

Examples

听到这个消息，他大吃一惊。

Tīngdào zhège xiāoxi, tā dàchīyījīng.

He was greatly shocked when he heard the news.

看到成绩单，她大吃一惊。

Kàndào chéngjīdān, tā dàchīyījīng.

She was taken aback when she saw the report card.

Tips

memory

吃 here doesn’t mean ‘eat’ — it means ‘to receive/suffer.’ So 大吃一惊 = ‘greatly receive a shock.’ This older usage of 吃 also appears in 吃亏 (suffer a loss).

Stroke Order

大 dà

吃 chī

一 yī

惊 jīng