怔 (zhèng): to be stunned

Meanings

听到消息，她怔住了，一句话也说不出。

Tīng dào xiāoxi, tā zhèngzhù le, yíjùhuà yě shuō bùchū.

Hearing the news, she was stunned and could not say a word.

他怔了一会儿，才慢慢点头。

Tā zhèng le yíhuìr, cái mànmàn diǎntóu.

He stared blankly for a while, then slowly nodded.

usage

This is the everyday reading. 怔住 ('to freeze, be stunned') and 发怔 (发怔, 'to space out') describe momentary blankness from shock or distraction.

radical

忄 xīn

heart; feeling

忄 is the side form of the heart radical 心. Being stunned is an inner emotional jolt, so the feeling radical fits naturally.

phonetic

正 zhèng

upright; phonetic

正 supplies the sound zhèng directly. It contributes pronunciation only and no meaning here.

怔 zhèng