骇人听闻 hàiréntīngwén shocking
shocking; horrifying; atrocious; terrible
How to remember 骇人听闻: 骇 to terrify + 人 person + 听 listen + 闻 hear = shocking.
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How it is used
- Idiom: shocking / horrifying to hear - 骇人听闻的罪行 (hàirén tīngwén de zuìxíng) an appalling crime.
- Describes atrocities and events so terrible they shock all who hear of them.
- Written register; contrast 耸人听闻 (sǒngrén tīngwén), which implies deliberately sensationalized/exaggerated - 骇人听闻 is genuinely horrifying.