惊魂不定 jīng hún bù dìng terrified

Explanation

指受到惊吓后，心情尚未平静，仍然感到害怕不安。

It refers to the state of mind after being frightened, not yet calm, and still feeling afraid and uneasy.

Origin Story

话说唐朝时期，一位年轻的书生张文远，为了赶考，夜里赶路。路过一片荒郊野外，突然狂风大作，飞沙走石，张文远被吓了一大跳，紧接着听到一阵阵凄厉的鬼叫声，他吓得魂飞魄散，跌倒在地，半天爬不起来。等到风停了，鬼叫声也消失了，张文远惊魂不定，好半天缓过神来，摸着胸口，这才发现自己竟然毫发无损。他心想，看来这只是虚惊一场，但惊吓带来的恐惧却久久无法平静，他仍惊魂不定，直到第二天早晨，才强打精神继续赶路。

huà shuō táng cháo shí qī, yī wèi nián qīng de shū shēng zhāng wén yuǎn, wèi le gǎn kǎo, yè lǐ gǎn lù. lù guò yī piàn huāng jiāo yě wài, tū rán kuáng fēng dà zuò, fēi shā zǒu shí, zhāng wén yuǎn bèi xià le yī dà tiào, jiē zhēnɡ tīng dào yī zhèn zhèn qī lì de guǐ jiào shēng, tā xià de hún fēi pò sàn, dié dǎo zài dì, bàn tiān pá bù qǐ lái. děng dào fēng tíng le, guǐ jiào shēng yě xiāo shī le, zhāng wén yuǎn jīng hún bù dìng, hǎo bàn tiān huǎn guò shén lái, mō zhe xiōng kǒu, cái cái fā xiàn zì jǐ jìng rán háo fà wú sǔn. tā xīn xiǎng, kàn lái zhè zhǐ shì xū jīng yī chǎng, dàn jīng xià dài lái de kǒng jù què jiǔ jiǔ wú fǎ píng jìng, tā réng jīng hún bù dìng, zhì dào dì èr tiān zǎo chén, cái qiáng dǎ jīng shén jì xù gǎn lù.

It is said that during the Tang Dynasty, a young scholar named Zhang Wenyuan rushed to take the exam at night. Passing a deserted field, a sudden strong wind blew, with sand and rocks flying all around. Zhang Wenyuan was startled. Immediately after, he heard a series of terrifying screams. He was so frightened that his soul flew away, falling to the ground, and unable to get up for a long time. When the wind stopped and the screams disappeared, Zhang Wenyuan was still in a state of shock, recovering for a long while. Touching his chest, he realized that he was unharmed. He thought to himself, "It seems to be a false alarm," but the fear brought by the fright could not calm down for a long time. He was still shaken, until the next morning, when he mustered his courage to continue his journey.

Usage

用于描写人受到惊吓后，内心恐惧不安的状态。

yòng yú miáoxiě rén shòu dào jīng xià hòu, nèixīn kǒngjù bù'ān de zhuàngtài

Used to describe the state of fear and anxiety after being frightened.

Examples

• 经历了那场车祸，他依然惊魂不定。

  jīng lí le nà chǎng chē huò, tā yīrán jīng hún bù dìng

  After the car accident, he was still terrified.

• 突如其来的噩耗，使她惊魂不定，整夜难以入眠。

  tū rú ér lái de è háo, shǐ tā jīng hún bù dìng, zhěng yè nán yǐ rù mián

  The sudden bad news made her restless and unable to sleep all night.

• 听到枪声，大家惊魂不定，四处躲藏。

  tīng dào qiāng shēng, dà jiā jīng hún bù dìng, sì chù duǒ cáng

  Hearing the gunshots, everyone was terrified and hid everywhere.

Related Idioms

• 心惊肉跳

• 魂飞魄散

• 提心吊胆

Opposite Idioms

• 心平气和

• 泰然自若