心惊肉跳

心驚肉跳

xīnjīng-ròutiào

idiom #32,610

Meanings

1 heart pounding and flesh trembling
2 to be terrified; gripped by dread
3 nervous foreboding

Characters

startled; alarmed

to jump; to twitch

Examples

HSK 6

半夜听到楼上有脚步声，吓得我心惊肉跳。

Bànyè tīngdào lóushàng yǒu jiǎobùshēng, xià de wǒ xīnjīngròutiào.

Hearing footsteps upstairs at midnight scared me out of my wits.

HSK 6

在结果公布前，他心惊肉跳，坐立不安。

Zài jiéguǒ gōngbù qián, tā xīnjīngròutiào, zuòlì-bù'ān.

Before the results were announced, he was on tenterhooks, unable to sit still.

HSK 7-9

山路曲折陡峭，一路开得我心惊肉跳。

Shānlù qūzhé dǒuqiào, yílù kāi de wǒ xīnjīngròutiào.

The mountain road twisted and plunged - the whole drive had my heart in my throat.

Tips

history

The form 心惊肉战 appears in the anonymous Yuan play 《争报恩》: 这一会儿心惊肉战 - my heart jumps and my flesh quivers. The variant 心惊肉跳 became standard by the Ming and Qing periods.

usage

Stronger than 害怕 or 紧张 - combines fear with physical sensation (pounding heart, twitching muscles). Often used for premonitions of bad news, horror scenes, and dangerous situations.

Stroke Order

心 xīn

惊 jīng

肉 ròu

跳 tiào