戛然而止

jiárán'érzhǐ
idiom #51,210

Meanings

  1. 1 to stop abruptly
  2. 2 to come to a sudden halt (esp. of sound)
  3. 3 to cut off without warning

Examples

HSK 3
Tā dehuà shuō dào yíbàn jiárán'érzhǐ.
His words broke off mid-sentence.
HSK 7-9
Yīnyuè jiárán'érzhǐ, guānzhòng dōu lèngzhù le.
The music stopped abruptly and the audience was stunned.
HSK 7-9
Jīngcǎi de zhíyè shēngyá yīnwèi shāngbìng jiárán'érzhǐ.
A brilliant career was cut short by injury.

Tips

mistakes
戛 is pronounced jiá, NOT gá (the more intuitive-looking reading). Test Chinese-native speakers and many will get this wrong. Also don't miswrite 戛 as 嘎.
usage
Originally for sudden silence (music, speech, chirping); now extended to anything that stops unexpectedly: careers, trends, storylines, conversations. Has a small dramatic flavor - good for writing, slightly strong for casual speech.

Stroke Order

戛 jiá
然 rán
而 ér
止 zhǐ