📖 Meaning
This idiom describes a state of extreme fright and panic. It conveys the image of someone so terrified that they have lost both their spirit and their courage. It is used to depict total psychological collapse in the face of danger or shock.
📜 Origin Story
This is a later compound idiom with no single authoritative classical source. It builds on the traditional Chinese association of the soul (魂) with one's spirit and the gallbladder (胆) with courage. Similar expressions combining soul-loss and fear appear in vernacular literature from the Ming and Qing dynasties, reflecting a common cultural metaphor for terror.
💡 Example Usage
敌人听到冲锋号声，吓得丢魂丧胆，四处逃窜。
Hearing the bugle call to charge, the enemy was so terrified they scattered and fled in all directions.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 丢魂丧胆
- Pinyin: diu1 hún sàng dǎn
- Literal Translation: lose soul, lose gall
- Category: Emotion
- Characters: 4