hài骇shockrén人peopletīng听hearwén闻hear
Shocking; dreadful; scandalous.
Literal meaning
shock (骇) — people (人) — hear (听) — hear (闻)
Origin
Describes something so shocking that it is widely heard. A classical four-character phrase.
Examples
Zhè这qǐ起shì事gù故hài骇rén人tīng听wén闻，yǐn引qǐ起le了shè社huì会de的guǎng广fàn泛guān关zhù注。
This shocking accident has aroused widespread concern in society.
Tā他jiǎng讲shù述le了yī一gè个hài骇rén人tīng听wén闻de的gù故shì事。
He told a shocking story.
Usage & nuances
Used to describe events or stories that are extremely shocking and often negative.
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