Usage note
吃惊表示对突然的事情感到意外。
chī jīng biǎo shì duì tū rán de shì qíng gǎn dào yì wài。
Being surprised means feeling unexpected about something sudden.
Context note
吃惊常出现在看到新消息、意外事件和表情里。
chī jīng cháng chū xiàn zài kàn dào xīn xiāo xī 、 yì wài shì jiàn hé biǎo qíng lǐ。
Being surprised often appears when seeing new news, unexpected events, and expressions.
5 examples
我很吃惊。
wǒ hěn chī jīng。
I am very surprised.
大家都吃惊了。
dà jiā dōu chī jīng le。
Everyone was surprised.
她听了很吃惊。
tā tīng le hěn chī jīng。
She was surprised after hearing it.
这个消息让我吃惊。
zhè ge xiāo xī ràng wǒ chī jīng。
This news surprised me.
他吃惊地看着我。
tā chī jīng dì kàn zhe wǒ。
He looked at me in surprise.
5 mini stories
听到这个消息，我非常吃惊。
tīng dào zhè ge xiāo xī， wǒ fēi cháng chī jīng。
I was very surprised when I heard this news.
大家看到小猫爬上桌子，都很吃惊。
dà jiā kàn dào xiǎo māo pá shàng zhuō zi， dōu hěn chī jīng。
Everyone was surprised to see the kitten climb onto the table.
老师说我做对了，连我自己都很吃惊。
lǎo shī shuō wǒ zuò duì le， lián wǒ zì jǐ dōu hěn chī jīng。
The teacher said I got it right, and even I was surprised.
她吃惊地张大嘴，看着窗外。
tā chī jīng dì zhāng dà zuǐ， kàn zhe chuāng wài。
She opened her mouth in surprise and looked outside.
这场表演太精彩了，让人很吃惊。
zhè chǎng biǎo yǎn tài jīng cǎi le， ràng rén hěn chī jīng。
This performance was so wonderful that it was surprising.
Mini dialogue
惊喜的礼物
A
这是我送你的生日礼物。
Zhè shì wǒ sòng nǐ de shēngrì lǐwù.
This is the birthday gift I'm giving you.
B
哇，太漂亮了！我真吃惊！
Wa, tài piàoliang le! Wǒ zhēn chījīng!
Wow, so beautiful! I'm really surprised!
突然的考试
A
老师说明天有考试。
Lǎoshī shuō míngtiān yǒu kǎoshì.
The teacher said there's a test tomorrow.
B
什么？太突然了，我很吃惊。
Shénme? Tài tūrán le, wǒ hěn chījīng.
What? That's so sudden, I'm very surprised.
Related words and contrasts
similar
惊讶
jīngyà
amazed, astonished
惊讶 is a near-synonym for surprised, often slightly more formal.
related
吓一跳
xià yī tiào
startled, got a fright
吓一跳 is a sudden surprise, sometimes with a little scare.