心有余悸

心有餘悸
xīnyǒu-yújì
idiom #32,899

Meanings

  1. 1 to have lingering fear
  2. 2 still shaken after a frightening experience
  3. 3 one's heart still pounds at the memory

Examples

Jīngguò nàchǎng chēhuò, wǒ zhìjīn xīnyǒu-yújì.
After that car accident, I'm still shaken even now.
Xiǎngqǐ zuówǎn de zāoyù, tā réngrán xīnyǒu-yújì.
Thinking of what happened last night, she still feels a lingering dread.

Tips

memory
(jì) means 'heart pounding from fear.' Literally: 'in the heart () there is still (有余) a pounding ().' The fear is over but the body hasn't caught up.
usage
Typically used when recalling a past danger or trauma - accident, attack, near-miss. The danger itself must be past; present fear would be just 害怕.

Stroke Order

xīn
yǒu