惊心动魄

Pronunciation: jīng xīn dòng pò Literal meaning: Startle the heart and soul

Origin & Usage

Zhong Rong, grading poets in the sixth century, wrote of Lu Ji's fourteen imitations of the old anonymous poems that they startle (惊) the heart (心) and move (动) the soul (魄), and that nearly every character in them is worth a thousand in gold. 魄 is the earthbound half of the soul in Chinese belief, the part tied to the body, so the phrase claims an effect reaching past the emotions and into the physical. Thrillers and genuinely dangerous experiences alike — praise in the first case and complaint in the second.

Examples

English: "The breathtaking performance left the audience in awe, feeling as if their hearts had been shaken."

Chinese: 那场令人惊心动魄的表演让观众惊叹不已，仿佛心灵被震撼。