📖 Meaning
To turn pale from shock or terror. Describes someone so frightened or astonished that their face drains of all color. It conveys an extreme state of alarm or sudden dread.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom first appears in the 'New Compilation of the Pinghua of the Five Dynasties History: Tang History, First Volume' (《新编五代史平话·唐史·上卷》), a historical narrative from the Song-Yuan period. It describes a battle scene where the Khitan army deployed ten thousand cavalry to block the advance, and upon seeing this, all the officers and soldiers turned pale with shock. The phrase later entered literary usage, appearing in Qing dynasty novels such as Li Ruzhen's 'Flowers in the Mirror' (《镜花缘》).
💡 Example Usage
听到这个消息，他顿时惊愕失色，说不出话来。
Upon hearing the news, he immediately turned pale with shock, unable to utter a word.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 惊愕失色
- Pinyin: jīng è shī sè
- Literal Translation: startled, stunned, lose, complexion
- Category: Emotion
- Characters: 4