骇人听闻

駭人聽聞

hàiréntīngwén

idiom HSK 7 #20,346

Meanings

Literally 'shocks people to hear' — so appalling it shocks anyone who hears about it

Zhè qǐ ànjiàn de xìjié hàiréntīngwén.

The details of this case are appalling.

Tāmen jiēlù le yīxiē hàiréntīngwén de zhēnxiàng.

They exposed some shocking truths.

usage

骇人听闻 is used for genuinely shocking or horrifying news/events, often crimes or scandals. It's stronger than just 'surprising.'

memory

Think: 'horrifies (骇) people (人) to hear (听闻)' — news so terrible it shocks everyone who hears it.

骇 hài

人 rén

听 tīng

闻 wén