不寒而栗 shivering without being cold
Explanation
不寒而栗，意思是不冷而发抖，形容非常恐惧。
Not cold but shivering.It describes great fear.
Origin Story
西汉时期，汉武帝时期的酷吏义纵在定襄郡做太守时，手段极其残暴。他将狱中重刑犯120多人全部判死刑，即使犯人家属贿赂狱卒探监，也全部判处死刑，一日之内处死了400多人。此事在当时引起极大的震动，百姓人人自危，谈虎色变，即使在天气并不寒冷的情况下，也感到不寒而栗，如同身处冰窖之中。义纵的暴行不仅令罪犯家属胆寒，也令郡中百姓恐惧不安，官吏们也战战兢兢，不敢稍有懈怠，生怕因为一点疏忽而被义纵所杀。一时间，定襄郡笼罩在恐怖的氛围之中，人们人心惶惶，夜不能寐，人人自危。
During the Western Han Dynasty, Yi Zong, a cruel official during Emperor Wu's reign, served as the prefect of Dingxiang County. His methods were extremely brutal. He sentenced more than 120 convicts to death, and even family members of the convicts who bribed prison guards to visit them were sentenced to death. In a single day, more than 400 people were executed. This caused a great stir, and people lived in fear. Even on days that were not cold, they felt a chill, as if trapped in an ice palace.
Usage
形容因恐惧而发抖。多用于描写恐怖的气氛或人内心的恐惧。
Describes shivering from fear. Often used to depict a terrifying atmosphere or a person's inner fear.
Examples
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他听了这个消息后，吓得不寒而栗。
ta ting le zhe ge xiaoxi hou,xia de bu han er li.mian dui turu qilai de biangu,ta bu han er li,shou jiao fa leng
He was chilled to the bone after hearing the news.
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面对突如其来的变故，他不寒而栗，手脚发冷。
Faced with the sudden change, he trembled with fear, his hands and feet cold.