chù 触 mù 目 jīng 惊 xīn 心

触目惊心 chù mù jīng xīn

shocking to behold; horrifying

Literally: touch eye startle heart

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Origin

From Han Yu's Zhaozhou Dao Mu Ji: 触目惊心, describing the shock of seeing devastation; popularized in later prose.

How to use it

Predicate or attributive; negative. Often 触目惊心的数字/场面 or 令人触目惊心.

Example sentences

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事故现场触目惊心，到处是扭曲的钢铁和碎玻璃。

Shìgù xiànchǎng chù mù jīng xīn, dàochù shì niǔqū de gāngtiě hé suì bōli.

The accident scene was horrifying, with twisted steel and shattered glass everywhere.

accident scene touch eye startle heart, everywhere is twisted (attributive particle) steel and broken glass
报告中触目惊心的数据揭示了环境污染的严重程度。

Bàogào zhōng chù mù jīng xīn de shùjù jiēshì le huánjìng wūrǎn de yánzhòng chéngdù.

The shocking figures in the report reveal the severity of environmental pollution.

report in touch eye startle heart (attributive particle) data reveal (aspect particle) environment pollution (attributive particle) serious degree

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