怵目惊心 chù mù jīng xīn

DEFINITIONS

  1. lit. shocks the eye, astonishes the heart (idiom); shocking
  2. horrible to see
  3. a ghastly sight
  4. also written 觸目驚心|触目惊心

CHARACTERS

怵 chù fear, be afraid; shy, timid
目 mù
HSK 3
eye; look, see; division, topic
惊 jīng
HSK 4
frighten, surprise, startle
心 xīn
HSK 3
heart; mind, intelligence; soul