Chinese word

惊讶

Pronunciation

Pinyinjīng yà

Meaning

  • adjectivesurprised

Example

听到那件事大家都很惊讶。tīng dào nà jiàn shì dà jiā dōu hěn jīng yà

Everyone was very surprised to hear that.

Illustration for 惊讶 (surprised)

More examples

他们看到结果后大为惊讶，一时无言。tā men kàn dào jié guǒ hòu dà wèi jīng yà yì shí wú yán

They were greatly surprised after seeing the result and were speechless for a moment.

Core concept

A brief, visible jolt of surprise when an unexpected fact or event breaks through normal expectations.

Common phrases

  • 对...表示惊讶duì biǎo shì jīng yà

    express surprise at ___

  • 大为惊讶dà wèi jīng yà

    be greatly surprised

  • 惊讶不已jīng yà bù yǐ

    be extremely surprised

Similar words

吃惊chī jīng: Feeling a sudden moment of surprise when encountering something unexpected.
惊奇jīng qí: Feeling surprised and curious because something is unusual or strange.
诧异chà yì: Feeling puzzled and surprised by an unexpected detail or situation.
惊愕jīng è: Feeling so shocked by something unexpected that one becomes stunned.

Definition in Chinese

因出乎意料的事而产生的短暂而明显的惊奇情绪。yīn chū hū yì liào de shì ér chǎn shēng de duǎn zàn ér míng xiǎn de jīng qí qíng xù

Word origin

惊 (jīng, "to startle") + 讶 (yà, "to be astonished") form a synonymous compound that reinforces the idea of a sudden surprised reaction.

Usage tips

  • In everyday Chinese, the experiencer is often the subject and the thing that triggers the feeling follows 对 (duì, "toward"), which helps show who is reacting to what.

Other meanings

  • be taken abackverb

Opposites

Word lists with this word