瞠 (chēng): to stare

Meanings

他的回答让大家瞠目结舌。

Tā de huídá ràng dàjiā chēngmùjiéshé.

His answer left everyone staring, speechless.

面对这么大的差距，他只能瞠乎其后。

Miànduì zhème dà de chājù, tā zhǐnéng chēng hū qí hòu.

Faced with such a huge gap, he could only stare helplessly behind.

usage

瞠 most often appears in 瞠目结舌 ('to stare wide-eyed and tongue-tied' — dumbstruck) and 瞠乎其后 ('to be left far behind, only able to stare').

radical

目 mù

eye

目 ('eye') on the left makes the meaning transparent: 瞠 is about the eyes — staring fixedly.

phonetic

堂 táng

hall; main room

堂 ('hall') is the phonetic; the reading has drifted from táng to chēng. It contributes only sound, not meaning.

瞠 chēng