耸人听闻

聳人聽聞

sǒngrén-tīngwén

idiom #24,445

Meanings

1 sensational
2 shocking
3 to make one's hair stand on end
4 deliberately exaggerated to shock

Characters

to stand on end / to alarm / to startle

person / people

to hear / to listen

to hear / news / to smell

Examples

HSK 3

这个新闻标题太耸人听闻了，内容其实很普通。

Zhè gè xīnwén biāotí tài sǒngrén-tīngwén le, nèiróng qíshí hěn pǔtōng.

This news headline is totally sensationalist. The content is actually quite ordinary.

HSK 4

媒体喜欢报道一些耸人听闻的事情来吸引眼球。

Méitǐ xǐhuān bàodào yīxiē sǒngrén-tīngwén de shìqing lái xīyǐn yǎnqiú.

The media likes to report sensational things to attract attention.

HSK 5

他讲了一个耸人听闻的故事，把大家都吓到了。

Tā jiǎng le yī gè sǒngrén-tīngwén de gùshi, bǎ dàjiā dōu xià dào le.

He told a shocking story that frightened everyone.

Tips

usage

耸人听闻 often has a negative connotation - implying deliberate exaggeration for shock value rather than genuinely startling truth. It is frequently used to criticize tabloid or clickbait journalism.

Stroke Order

耸 sǒng

人 rén

听 tīng

闻 wén