After the earthquake, residents were still rattled.
Tips
history
From Su Shi's 《谢量移汝州表》 (Song dynasty): 只影自怜，命寄江湖之上；惊魂未定，梦游缧绁之中 — written from exile, describing a soul still rattled from having nearly been executed. The emotional aftershock captured there is exactly what the idiom names.
usage
Describes the psychological state immediately after a scare — minutes, hours, or days, but not weeks. For lasting trauma use 心有余悸 or 后怕.
