Word

惊慌失措 (jīng huāng shī cuò) — Chinese word meaning

HSK 7

Meaning of 惊慌失措

成语 chéng yǔ idiom

panic-stricken

突然听到爆炸声，他惊慌失措地跑出房间。

tū rán tīng dào bào zhà shēng tā jīng huāng shī cuò de pǎo chū fáng jiān

Suddenly hearing the explosion sound, he ran out of the room panic-stricken.

Word breakdown

惊 jīng — startled, alarmed

慌 huāng — panicked, flustered

1 心慌 xīn huāng — panicked, flustered, nervous HSK 7
- 心 heart, mind - represents the emotional/mental aspect
- 慌 flustered, panicked - describes the anxious, nervous state
Example

第一次上台演讲，我心慌得很。

dì yī cì shàng tái yǎn jiǎng wǒ xīn huāng de hěn

The first time I gave a speech on stage, I was very nervous.
2 恐慌 kǒng huāng — panicked HSK 7
- 恐 fear, terror
- 慌 flustered, alarmed
Example

听到警报声，人们变得恐慌起来。

tīng dào jǐng bào shēng rén men biàn de kǒng huāng qǐ lái

Upon hearing the alarm, people became panicked.
3 惊慌 jīng huāng — panicked HSK 7
- 惊 alarm, fright, startlement
- 慌 flustered, confused, disoriented
Example

她突然发现钱包不见了，显得很惊慌。

tā tū rán fā xiàn qián bāo bù jiàn le xiǎn de hěn jīng huāng

She suddenly realized her wallet was missing and seemed very panicked.
4 慌乱 huāng luàn — flustered HSK 7
- 慌 panic, alarm
- 乱 disorder, confusion
Example

面对紧急情况，他表现得很慌乱。

miàn duì jǐn jí qíng kuàng tā biǎo xiàn de hěn huāng luàn

Facing the emergency, he acted very flustered.
5 慌张 huāng zhāng — flustered HSK 7
- 慌 panic, alarm (the inner emotional state)
- 张 flustered display, agitated manner (the outward manifestation)
Example

不要慌张，冷静下来。

bú yào huāng zhāng lěng jìng xià lái

Don't panic, calm down.

失 shī — to lose

措 cuò — composure, measures

1 措施 cuò shī — measure HSK 5
- 措 to arrange, to plan
- 施 to implement, to execute
Example

政府采取了新的措施来保护环境。

zhèng fǔ cǎi qǔ le xīn de cuò shī lái bǎo hù huán jìng

The government has adopted new measures to protect the environment.
2 不知所措 bù zhī suǒ cuò — at a loss; not know what to do HSK 7
- 不 not (negation)
- 知 to know
- 所 place; what/where (nominalizer)
- 措 to place; to handle; to deal with
Example

孩子走丢了，妈妈急得不知所措。

hái zi zǒu diū le mā ma jí de bù zhī suǒ cuò

The child got lost, and the mother was so anxious she didn't know what to do.
3 举措 jǔ cuò — measure HSK 7
- 举 to undertake, to raise (an action)
- 措 to arrange, to implement (a method)
Example

政府采取了新的举措来保护环境。

zhèng fǔ cǎi qǔ le xīn de jǔ cuò lái bǎo hù huán jìng

The government has taken new measures to protect the environment.
4 措手不及 cuò shǒu bù jí — caught off guard HSK 7
- 措 to handle, to manage
- 手 hand (representing readiness to act)
- 不 not
- 及 to reach, in time
Example

突如其来的暴雨让我们措手不及。

tū rú qí lái de bào yǔ ràng wǒ men cuò shǒu bù jí

The sudden rainstorm caught us off guard.
5 筹措 chóu cuò — to raise (funds) HSK 7
- 筹 to plan, to prepare
- 措 to arrange, to handle
Example

政府筹措资金建设新医院。

zhèng fǔ chóu cuò zī jīn jiàn shè xīn yī yuàn

The government is raising funds to build a new hospital.