惊讶

驚訝

jīngyà

adjective HSK 7-9 #1,649

Meanings

1 surprised; astonished
2 taken aback

Characters

to startle; surprised

surprised; amazed

Both characters express surprise - a straightforward compound for being caught off guard.

Examples

HSK 3

他对这个消息感到非常惊讶。

Tā duì zhège xiāoxi gǎndào fēicháng jīngyà.

He was very surprised by this news.

HSK 3

我惊讶地发现他已经走了。

Wǒ jīngyà de fāxiàn tā yǐjīng zǒu le.

I was surprised to find he had already left.

Tips

usage

惊讶 is the most neutral 'surprised' in Chinese - no positive or negative connotation. Compare: 惊喜 (pleasantly surprised), 惊奇 (amazed with wonder), 吃惊 (startled/shocked).

Stroke Order

惊 jīng

讶 yà