大吃一惊

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Character Breakdown

Meaning and Usage

"大吃一惊" is a common Chinese idiom meaning to be greatly surprised or shocked. It literally combines "" (big), "" (eat), "" (one), and "" (surprise), but the phrase as a whole means to be startled or amazed by something unexpected.

Contexts

This expression is often used in everyday conversation to describe a strong emotional reaction to surprising news, events, or discoveries. It can be used for both positive and negative surprises.

Common Collocations

Nuance

Using 大吃一惊 conveys a stronger and more vivid reaction than simply saying "惊讶" (surprised). It often implies an immediate and intense emotional response.

Avoiding Confusion

Do not confuse 大吃一惊 with phrases involving "" literally meaning "to eat." Here, "" is part of the idiomatic expression and does not relate to eating food.

Example Sentences

After hearing this news, he was greatly surprised and never expected it to

She was very surprised when she saw the exam results because they were much

Hearing that he suddenly resigned, everyone was shocked and didn’t know what