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触目惊心

chù mù jīng xīndictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
lit. shocks the eye, astonishes the heart (idiom) / shocking / horrible to see / a ghastly sight
Sources & editorial notes

Reference definitions: CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source release 2026-10-27T01:55:52Z. Imported 2026-10-27. Definition wording and meaning order are retained. Recognized pronunciation references are displayed with tone marks; the original source record is available below.

Source record: cd-a9657f8c80dd0577. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

觸目驚心 触目惊心 [chu4 mu4 jing1 xin1] /lit. shocks the eye, astonishes the heart (idiom); shocking/horrible to see/a ghastly sight/

Reference definitions and teaching material have separate provenance.

Reference information

The definitions above are from CC-CEDICT. Examples and usage notes are available on selected entries.

Character information

View the individual characters. Their meanings do not necessarily explain the meaning of the whole word.

Other forms in these source records: 觸目驚心

  • 触
    chù

    to touch / to make contact with sth / to stir up sb's emotions

  • 目
    mù

    eye / (literary) to look / to regard / eye (of a net) / mesh / mesh size / grit size (abbr. for 目數|目数[mù shù]) / item / section / list / catalogue / (taxonomy) order / name / title

  • 惊
    jīng

    to startle / to be frightened / to be scared / alarm

  • 心
    xīn

    heart / mind / intention / center / core / CL:顆|颗[kē],個|个[gè]

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.