胆战心惊

膽戰心驚
dǎnzhàn-xīnjīng
idiom #23,816

Meanings

  1. 1 to tremble with fear
  2. 2 scared witless
  3. 3 extremely frightened

Examples

HSK 5
Tīngdào nàge xiāoxi, tā dǎnzhànxīnjīng, bùzhī rúhé shì hǎo.
Hearing that news, he was trembling with fear, not knowing what to do.
HSK 7-9
Zhàn zài xuányá biānyuán, tā dǎnzhànxīnjīng.
Standing at the edge of the cliff, she was scared out of her wits.

Tips

memory
胆 (gallbladder, associated with courage in Chinese medicine) is 战 (trembling/shaking), while the 心 (heart) is 惊 (startled). When even your gallbladder shakes and your heart jumps - that is true terror.

Stroke Order

胆 dǎn
战 zhàn
心 xīn
惊 jīng