📖 Meaning
Although a dangerous situation has passed, one still feels afraid when recalling it. The fear continues to linger in one's heart after the threat is gone. It describes the residual unease that remains after a frightening experience.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom comes from the modern Chinese writer Sun Li (孙犁), appearing in his speech titled 'Bravely Advance and Fight - A Speech at a Symposium' (奋勇地前进、战斗-在一次座谈会上的发言). Sun Li wrote, 'If the first thing he encountered on the road was merely a well rope, he would not have a lingering fear in his heart.' The reference to the well rope echoes the older proverb 'Once bitten by a snake, one fears a well rope for ten years,' linking the modern expression to a long-standing Chinese motif about trauma. The phrase has since become a common way to describe residual fear after danger has passed.
💡 Example Usage
那次车祸后，她每次坐车都心有余悸。
After that car accident, she still feels a lingering fear every time she rides in a car.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 心有余悸
- Pinyin: xīn yǒu yú jì
- Literal Translation: heart, have, lingering, fear
- Category: Emotion
- Characters: 4