Chinese word

愣

Pronunciation

Pinyinlèng

Meaning

  • verbbe stunned

Example

我听到这个消息，愣住了。wǒ tīng dào zhè ge xiāo xī lèng zhù le

I was stunned when I heard the news.

Illustration for 愣 (be stunned)

More examples

舞台上的灯光突然熄灭，观众里有人愣神了一会儿。wǔ tái shàng de dēng guāng tū rán xī miè guān zhòng lǐ yǒu rén lèng shén le yí huìr

The stage lights suddenly went out, and someone in the audience was dazed for a while.

Core concept

A sudden interruption leaves thought, facial expression, or movement paused for a short time.

Common phrases

  • 愣神lèng shén

    be dazed

  • 愣住lèng zhù

    freeze up

  • 愣在原地lèng zài yuán dì

    stand dazed in place

Similar words

愣住lèng zhù: Become frozen in place for a moment, unable to speak or take the next action.
发愣fā lèng: Drift into a brief blank state without thinking clearly about anything.
呆住dāi zhù: Become so still that the face, body, movement, or voice seems to stop.
惊呆jīng dāi: Become extremely shocked, leaving speech and action stopped for a moment.

Definition in Chinese

因突然受惊、分心或疑惑而短暂僵住，暂时无法立刻思考或行动，表现为表情呆滞或动作停顿。yīn tū rán shòu jīng fēn xīn huò yí huò ér duǎn zàn jiāng zhù zàn shí wú fǎ lì kè sī kǎo huò xíng dòng biǎo xiàn wèi biǎo qíng dāi zhì huò dòng zuò tíng dùn

Word origin

The written form 愣 (lèng, "be stunned") combines 忄 (xīn, "heart") + 楞 (léng, "square-edged"), with the first pointing to an inner reaction and the second mainly supplying the sound.

Usage tips

  • English often separates a blank pause caused by confusion from a reaction caused by surprise, but everyday Chinese uses this verb for either when the pause is brief and visible.

Other meanings

  • be dazedverb
  • space outverb

Opposites

Related words

  • 发愣fā lèngbe dazedverb
  • 愣神儿lèng shénrbeing dazednoun
  • 愣头愣脑lèng tóu lèng nǎoabsent-mindedidiom

Word lists with this word