phát khiếp
Definition
- Verb phrase:
- To be terrified; to be frightened: To experience a sudden, intense feeling of fear or horror.
- To be appalled; to be shocked: To react with a strong sense of dismay, shock, or revulsion, often upon seeing or learning something unpleasant.
Usage Examples
- Verb phrase:
- Nghe tiếng hét trong đêm, tôi phát khiếp. (Hearing the scream in the night, I was terrified.)
- Thấy cảnh tượng đó, ai cũng phát khiếp. (Seeing that scene, everyone was appalled.)
- Cô ấy phát khiếp khi phát hiện ra con rắn trong phòng. (She was frightened when she discovered the snake in the room.)
Advanced Usage
- The phrase "phát khiếp" often describes a visceral, immediate reaction of fear or disgust. It implies the fear is triggered by a specific, startling event or discovery.
- It can be used hyperbolically in informal contexts to express being very startled or annoyed.
- Làm bài tập nhiều đến phát khiếp. (There's so much homework it's shocking/appalling.)
Variants and Related Words
- Khiếp (interjection/exclamation): An exclamation of fear, similar to "Yikes!" or "How terrifying!"
- Khiếp! Con vật đó trông đáng sợ quá! (Yikes! That animal looks so scary!)
- Khiếp sợ (verb): To fear, to dread.
- Nó khiếp sợ sự cô đơn. (He dreads loneliness.)
Synonyms
- Be terrified: To be filled with overwhelming fear.
- Be horrified: To be filled with shock or dread.
- Be appalled: To be greatly dismayed or shocked.
Related Idioms
- Khiếp vía: To be scared out of one's wits. This idiom emphasizes the fear affecting one's vital spirit or courage.
- Câu chuyện ma làm các em nhỏ khiếp vía. (The ghost story scared the children out of their wits.)