令人发指 — “To be utterly outrageous or appalling”
令人发指 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be utterly outrageous or appalling”. To make one bristle with extreme indignation. Literally, “Makes one's hair stand on end”.
Frequency
令人发指 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- 令lìng
- 人rén
- 发fà
- 指zhǐ
令人发指 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 令人发指
那些偷盗医疗物资并高价倒卖的行为，真是令人发指。
The acts of stealing medical supplies and reselling them at exorbitant prices were truly outrageous.
Origin and Story of 令人发指
In 227 BC, the State of Qin defeated the State of Zhao and pressed close to the State of Yan. Crown Prince Dan of Yan invited Jing Ke to assassinate the King of Qin.
Jing Ke took with him the head of Fan Yuqi, an enemy of the King of Qin, and a map of Dukan.
Crown Prince Dan saw him off by the Yi River. Gao Jianli played the zhù, and Jing Ke sang loudly: 'The wind sighs, the Yi River is cold; a brave man departs, never to return!' The song was stirring, and the scene was truly appalling.
Idioms Related to 令人发指
Synonyms of 令人发指
Antonyms of 令人发指
More idioms starting with 令
- lìng令bù不xū虚xíng行Orders are strictly enforced
- lìng令rén人zuò作ǒu呕repulsive and sickening
- lìng令rén人qiè切chǐ齿to make one furious with hatred
- lìng令rén人chī吃jīng惊to cause astonishment or surprise
- lìng令rén人pēn喷fàn饭extremely amusing or ridiculous
- lìng令rén人hán寒xīn心to deeply disappoint and dishearten
- lìng令rén人pěng捧fù腹to make one laugh heartily
- lìng令rén人zhù注mù目to attract attention
- lìng令rén人mǎn满yì意to cause people to be satisfied
- lìng令rén人tòng痛xīn心heart-wrenching and deeply regrettable
- lìng令rén人zhǔ瞩mù目to attract a lot of attention
- lìng令rén人shén神wǎng往captivating and inspiring longing
Questions about 令人发指
- What does 令人发指 mean?
- 令人发指 (lìng rén fà zhǐ) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be utterly outrageous or appalling”.
- How do you pronounce 令人发指?
- 令人发指 is pronounced lìng rén fà zhǐ in Mandarin Chinese.
- What does 令人发指 literally mean?
- Literally, 令人发指 means “Makes one's hair stand on end”. It is used to mean “to be utterly outrageous or appalling”.
- Where does 令人发指 come from?
- 令人发指 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
- What is the Chinese definition of 令人发指?
- 发指：头发竖起来，形容极为愤怒。使人头发都竖起来了。形容使人极度愤怒。