骇人听闻

駭人聽聞

hàirén-tīngwén

idiom HSK 7-9 #20,346

Meanings

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

这起案件的细节骇人听闻。

Zhè qǐ ànjiàn de xìjié hàirén-tīngwén.

The details of this case are appalling.

他们揭露了一些骇人听闻的真相。

Tāmen jiēlù le yīxiē hàirén-tīngwén 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