触目惊心chù mù jīng xīnlit. shocks the eye, astonishes the heart (idiom); shocking

1. 1.

   lit. shocks the eye, astonishes the heart (idiom); shockingidiom

2. 2.

   horrible to see

3. 3.

   a ghastly sight

Figurative meaning

Shocking; horrible to see; a ghastly sight.

• 触to make contact with sth
• 目eye
• 惊to startle
• 心heart

No attested origin story

触目惊心 can serve as a predicate after 真 or 让人, or come before 的 and a noun such as 画面.

1. HSK 2

   大火以后的房子真是触目惊心。

   Dàhuǒ yǐhòu de fángzi zhēn shì chù mù jīng xīn.

   The house after the big fire was truly horrible to see.

2. HSK 4

   新闻里的画面触目惊心。

   Xīnwén lǐ de huàmiàn chù mù jīng xīn.

   The images in the news were shocking.

3. HSK 4

   河里的垃圾多得触目惊心。

   Hé lǐ de lājī duō de chù mù jīng xīn.

   There was a shocking amount of rubbish in the river.

1. 
   Speaker A:

   你看了那条河的照片吗？

   Nǐ kàn le nà tiáo hé de zhàopiàn ma?

   Did you see the photos of that river?

2. 
   Speaker B:

   看了，到处都是垃圾。

   Kàn le, dàochù dōu shì lājī.

   Yes, there was rubbish everywhere.

3. 
   Speaker A:

   真是触目惊心。

   Zhēn shì chù mù jīng xīn.

   It's truly shocking to see.

4. 
   Speaker B:

   我们以后要少用塑料袋。

   Wǒmen yǐhòu yào shǎo yòng sùliàodài.

   We should use fewer plastic bags from now on.

1. 1.What does 触目惊心 mean?

   AShocking; horrible to seeBDistinctiveCA common occurrence
2. 2.Which sentence uses 触目惊心 correctly?

   A新闻里的画面触目惊心。B我触目惊心地吃早饭。C这个蛋糕很触目惊心好吃。
3. 3.Which word fits best? 大火以后的房子真是____。 (The house after the fire was horrible to see.)

   A触目惊心B与众不同C屡见不鲜

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Related idioms

• 一目了然yí mù liǎo ránobvious at a glance (idiom)HSK 7–9
• 全心全意quán xīn quán yì(idiom) heart and soul; wholeheartedlyHSK 7–9
• 小心翼翼xiǎo xīn yì yìcautious; careful; prudentHSK 7–9
• 深入人心shēn rù rén xīnto enter deeply into people's heartsHSK 7–9
• 齐心协力qí xīn xié lìto work with a common purpose (idiom); to make concerted effortsHSK 7–9
• 心有余悸xīn yǒu yú jìto have lingering fearsNot on the HSK 3.0 syllabus

Browse every entry in the Chinese idioms dictionary.