吃惊
HSK 4 (exam 2025)HSK 4 (2021)Old HSK 4
吃惊 (chījīng) · surprised
吃惊 (chījīng) means “surprised; shocked; amazed”. It is written with 2 characters: 吃 (to eat) + 惊 (to frighten). It is an HSK 4 word in the current exam syllabus (2025).
How 吃惊 is built
The characters
吃 chī · to eat
What 吃 is made of
- 口kǒu — mouth
- 冂 — frame
- 丨 — vertical stroke
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 冂 — frame
- 乞qǐ — to beg
- 乙yǐ — second
Origin hint: 口 gives the meaning, 乞 gives the sound. (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)
惊 jīng · to frighten
What 惊 is made of
- 忄xīn — heart
- 八bā — eight
- 丨 — vertical stroke
- 京jīng — capital
- 亠tóu — lid
- 丶 — dot
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 口kǒu — mouth
- 冂 — frame
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 小xiǎo — small
- 亅 — hook
- 八bā — eight
- 亠tóu — lid
Origin hint: 忄 gives the meaning, 京 gives the sound. (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)
Example sentences
听到这个消息，大家都很吃惊。Tīngdào zhège xiāoxi, dàjiā dōu hěn chījīng.Everyone was shocked to hear the news.
你怎么一点儿也不吃惊？Nǐ zěnme yīdiǎnr yě bù chījīng?How come you aren't surprised at all?
Questions about 吃惊
What does 吃惊 mean?
吃惊 (chījīng) means “surprised; shocked; amazed”.
How do you pronounce 吃惊?
吃惊 is pronounced chījīng.
Which HSK level is 吃惊?
吃惊 is in HSK 4 (exam 2025) and HSK 4 (2021) and Old HSK 4.
Related words
- 吃饭chīfànto eat a meal
- 好吃hǎochīdelicious
- 小吃xiǎochīsnack
- 吃亏chīkuīto lose out
- 吃苦chīkǔto endure hardship
- 吃力chīlìstrenuous
- 吃chīto eat
- 惊动jīngdòngto disturb
- 惊奇jīngqísurprised
- 惊讶jīngyàastonished
Learn 吃惊 with its group
It is part of HSK 4 (2021) · Group 94: a short group with quick checks and spaced repeats.