觸目驚心 chù mù jīng xīn

DEFINITIONS

  1. lit. shocks the eye, astonishes the heart (idiom); shocking
  2. horrible to see
  3. a ghastly sight

CHARACTERS

觸 chù touch; butt, ram, gore
目 mù
HSK 3
eye; look, see; division, topic
驚 jīng frighten, surprise, startle
心 xīn
HSK 3
heart; mind, intelligence; soul