目瞪口呆 — “To be dumbfounded or stupefied with surprise”
目瞪口呆 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be dumbfounded or stupefied with surprise”. Fear, or astonishment, appearing dazed with eyes wide open and mouth agape. Literally, “Eyes staring and mouth agape”.
Frequency
目瞪口呆 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- 目mù
- 瞪dèng
- 口kǒu
- 呆dāi
目瞪口呆 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 目瞪口呆
当魔术师突然变出一只活生生的鸽子时，所有观众都目瞪口呆地看着。
When the magician suddenly produced a live dove, all the spectators watched dumbfounded.
Origin and Story of 目瞪口呆
During the early Western Han Dynasty, Han Xin was granted the title King of Qi. Prime Minister Xiao He, concerned about Han Xin's growing military power, sought advice from Fan Kuai for a solution.
Fan Kuai, full of self-importance, boasted about how he had single-handedly defeated Xiang Yu, leaving him '目瞪口呆' (dumbfounded) and thereby protecting their lord. He confidently asserted that facing Han Xin, a mere hungry man from Huaiyin who couldn't even kill a chicken, would simply require one or two men to cut him in half.
Idioms Related to 目瞪口呆
Synonyms of 目瞪口呆
Antonyms of 目瞪口呆
More idioms starting with 目
- mù目xià下shí十háng行read ten lines at a glance
- mù目bù不jiāo交jié睫not close one's eyes all night
- mù目bù不bié别shì视focus intently without looking elsewhere
- mù目bù不wàng妄shì视eyes do not look wantonly
- mù目bù不rěn忍dǔ睹too horrible to behold
- mù目bù不rěn忍jiàn见too tragic to behold
- mù目bù不rěn忍jiàn见，，ěr耳bù不kān堪wén闻too gruesome to see or hear
- mù目bù不rěn忍shì视too horrible to behold
- mù目bù不rěn忍shì视，，ěr耳bù不rěn忍wén闻too tragic to see or hear
- mù目bù不xié斜shì视look straight ahead
- mù目bù不páng旁shì视to remain focused and undistracted
- mù目bù不xiá暇jiē接too many beautiful things to see
Questions about 目瞪口呆
- What does 目瞪口呆 mean?
- 目瞪口呆 (mù dèng kǒu dāi) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be dumbfounded or stupefied with surprise”.
- How do you pronounce 目瞪口呆?
- 目瞪口呆 is pronounced mù dèng kǒu dāi in Mandarin Chinese.
- What does 目瞪口呆 literally mean?
- Literally, 目瞪口呆 means “Eyes staring and mouth agape”. It is used to mean “to be dumbfounded or stupefied with surprise”.
- Where does 目瞪口呆 come from?
- 目瞪口呆 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
- What is the Chinese definition of 目瞪口呆?
- 形容因吃惊或害怕而发愣的样子。