📖 Meaning
Describes a state of extreme terror or fright, so intense that it shakes one's very spirit and feels as though one's gallbladder has burst. The idiom conveys a visceral, overwhelming fear that leaves a person utterly shaken to their core.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom first appears in the Tang Dynasty work "Yunxi Youyi" (《云溪友议》) by Fan Shu (范摅). In Volume 1, the text describes how official documents and judgments were sometimes issued so abruptly and unexpectedly that those who received them were thrown into a state of extreme terror. The phrase captures the sheer dread that subordinates felt when confronted with sudden, stern official decrees.
💡 Example Usage
那场车祸让他惊神破胆，至今不敢开车。
That car accident terrified him to his core, and he still doesn't dare to drive to this day.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 惊神破胆
- Pinyin: jīng shén pò dǎn
- Literal Translation: startle spirit, rupture gallbladder
- Category: Emotion
- Characters: 4