大吃一惊

dà chī yī jīng

HSK 3.0 Level 6 Uncommon

Definitions

1. to have a surprise (idiom); shocked or startled
2. gobsmacked

Word relationships

Register variants

1 item

• 目瞪口呆 mù dèng kǒu dāi 目瞪口呆 mù dèng kǒu dāi dumbstruck (idiom); stupefied 形容因吃惊而说不出话的样子，更口语化: dumbstruck (idiom); stupefied

Related words

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• 出乎意料 chū hū yì liào 出乎意料 chū hū yì liào beyond expectation (idiom); unexpected 表示事情的发展超出了预先的估计: beyond expectation (idiom); unexpected

Synonyms

1 item

• 惊愕 jīng è 惊愕 jīng è (literary) stunned; stupefied 表示非常吃惊、意外: (literary) stunned; stupefied

Usage notes

Collocations

Usually follows a subject (often a person) and can be modified by 让 or 使 to indicate the cause of the shock.

Common mistakes

Learners may omit 一, but 大吃一惊 is a fixed idiom; saying 大吃惊 is incorrect.

Example Sentences

1 shown

看到那条消息，他 大吃一惊 。

He was shocked when he saw the news.

AI-generated examples are marked with this icon.

Child Words of 大吃一惊

• 一 一 yī: one
• 吃 吃 chī: to eat
• 大 大 dà: big; large; great
• 大 大 dài: see 大夫[dài fu]
• 惊 惊 jīng: to startle
• 大吃 大吃 dà chī: to gorge oneself