jīngrén: 惊人 - Astonishing, Amazing, Shocking

• Keywords: jīngrén, 惊人, what does jingren mean, amazing in Chinese, astonishing in Chinese, Chinese word for shocking, jīngrén examples, 惊人 meaning, Chinese adjectives, HSK 5 vocabulary.
• Summary: Learn the meaning and usage of 惊人 (jīngrén), a common Chinese adjective used to describe something as “astonishing,” “amazing,” or “shocking.” This guide covers its character breakdown, cultural context, and provides over 10 practical example sentences, helping you understand how to use 惊人 to express surprise at the incredible scale or degree of something, whether it's an amazing achievement or a shocking amount of waste.

• Pinyin (with tone marks): jīngrén
• Part of Speech: Adjective
• HSK Level: HSK 5
• Concise Definition: Causing astonishment or surprise due to being remarkable or extreme.
• In a Nutshell: 惊人 (jīngrén) is your go-to word when you want to say something is “astonishing” or “amazing” because of its incredible scale, speed, or quality. Think of it like adding “-ly” to “astonishing” or “shocking” in English (e.g., astonishingly fast, shockingly expensive). It describes the thing or situation itself, not the feeling of the person observing it.

• 惊 (jīng): To startle, shock, or frighten. The character is composed of the radical for horse (马, mǎ) and a phonetic component (京, jīng). A simple way to remember it is to imagine a horse (马) being suddenly startled (惊).
• 人 (rén): Person or people. This is one of the simplest characters, a pictograph of a person walking.
• Combined Meaning: The characters literally combine to mean “to startle a person.” This perfectly encapsulates the word's function: to describe something so extreme, impressive, or unexpected that it would startle or astonish anyone who sees it.

While not tied to ancient philosophy like some Chinese terms, 惊人 (jīngrén) plays a significant role in modern Chinese communication, especially in media and advertising. It's a power word used to create emphasis and grab attention. News headlines in China frequently use 惊人 to highlight the scale of an event, from economic growth to natural disasters. A useful comparison in Western culture is the use of “jaw-dropping,” “mind-blowing,” or “staggering.” However, 惊人 feels slightly more neutral and versatile. While “jaw-dropping” is almost always positive, and “staggering” often relates to numbers (staggering costs, staggering losses), 惊人 (jīngrén) can be applied to almost any noun to indicate its extremity, be it positive, negative, or neutral. For example:

• Positive: 惊人的美丽 (jīngrén de měilì) - Astonishing beauty
• Negative: 惊人的浪费 (jīngrén de làngfèi) - Shocking waste
• Neutral: 惊人的速度 (jīngrén de sùdù) - Astonishing speed

Its frequent use reflects a cultural tendency in modern communication to use strong, impactful language to convey the magnitude of China's rapid development and the dramatic events that accompany it.

惊人 (jīngrén) is an adjective used to modify a noun, almost always with the particle 的 (de). The common structure is: 惊人 + 的 + Noun (e.g., 惊人的速度 - an astonishing speed) It can also be used as a predicate with 是…的 or after a verb with 得.

• In Conversation: You might use it to exclaim about something you witness. “你看，这座楼建得好快！速度真是惊人！” (Look, this building was built so fast! The speed is truly astonishing!)
• In News and Media: It's extremely common in headlines to describe statistics, changes, or events. “中国经济在过去二十年里取得了惊人的增长。” (China's economy has achieved astonishing growth in the past 20 years.)
• Positive vs. Negative: The connotation of 惊人 is determined by the noun it modifies.
  • 惊人的成就 (jīngrén de chéngjiù) = astonishing achievement (positive)
  • 惊人的巧合 (jīngrén de qiǎohé) = amazing coincidence (neutral)
  • 惊人的错误 (jīngrén de cuòwù) = shocking mistake (negative)

• Example 1:
• 他的进步速度是惊人的。
• Pinyin: Tā de jìnbù sùdù shì jīngrén de.
• English: The speed of his progress is astonishing.
• Analysis: This is a classic, positive use of 惊人. The 是…的 (shì…de) structure is used here for emphasis.
• Example 2:
• 这座城市的房价高得惊人。
• Pinyin: Zhè zuò chéngshì de fángjià gāo de jīngrén.
• English: The housing prices in this city are astonishingly high.
• Analysis: Here, 惊人 is used after an adjective (高, gāo) with the particle 得 (de) to describe the degree of “high.” The connotation is likely negative or at least stressful for buyers.
• Example 3:
• 她有惊人的记忆力。
• Pinyin: Tā yǒu jīngrén de jìyìlì.
• English: She has an amazing memory.
• Analysis: A simple and direct use of the `惊人 + 的 + Noun` structure to praise someone's ability.
• Example 4:
• 过去十年，中国发生了惊人的变化。
• Pinyin: Guòqù shí nián, Zhōngguó fāshēngle jīngrén de biànhuà.
• English: In the past ten years, China has undergone astonishing changes.
• Analysis: This sentence is very common when discussing modern China. It's a neutral-to-positive statement about the scale of development.
• Example 5:
• 每年浪费的食物数量是惊人的。
• Pinyin: Měi nián làngfèi de shíwù shùliàng shì jīngrén de.
• English: The amount of food wasted every year is shocking.
• Analysis: This example shows the negative connotation. 惊人 effectively highlights the unacceptable scale of the waste.
• Example 6:
• 他们俩长得惊人地相似。
• Pinyin: Tāmen liǎ zhǎng de jīngrén de xiāngsì.
• English: The two of them look astonishingly similar.
• Analysis: The adverbial particle 地 (de) is used here to connect 惊人 to the verb/adjective 相似 (xiāngsì), modifying how similar they are.
• Example 7:
• 这个消息太惊人了，我一时无法相信。
• Pinyin: Zhège xiāoxi tài jīngrén le, wǒ yīshí wúfǎ xiāngxìn.
• English: This news is too shocking, I can't believe it for a moment.
• Analysis: A common conversational use. 太…了 (tài…le) is used to intensify the adjective 惊人.
• Example 8:
• 表演者们展现了惊人的技巧。
• Pinyin: Biǎoyǎnzhěmen zhǎnxiànle jīngrén de jìqiǎo.
• English: The performers displayed astonishing skills.
• Analysis: A positive and formal way to describe high-level talent or skill.
• Example 9:
• 这幅画的细节惊人，每一笔都恰到好处。
• Pinyin: Zhè fú huà de xìjié jīngrén, měi yī bǐ dōu qiàdàohǎochù.
• English: The details of this painting are amazing; every single brushstroke is perfect.
• Analysis: Used here to praise the intricate quality of a piece of art.
• Example 10:
• 面对惊人的困难，他没有放弃。
• Pinyin: Miànduì jīngrén de kùnnan, tā méiyǒu fàngqì.
• English: Faced with astonishing difficulties, he did not give up.
• Analysis: Here, 惊人 is used to emphasize the massive scale of a negative thing (difficulties), which in turn highlights the subject's strength and perseverance.

The most common mistake for English speakers is confusing 惊人 (jīngrén) with 惊讶 (jīngyà).

• 惊人 (jīngrén) is an adjective that describes a thing or situation that *causes* surprise. It means “astonishing” or “amazing.”
  • Correct: 他的中文水平很惊人。(Tā de Zhōngwén shuǐpíng hěn jīngrén.) - His Chinese level is astonishing.
• 惊讶 (jīngyà) is a verb or adjective that describes a person's feeling of being surprised. It means “to be surprised” or “surprised.”
  • Correct: 我对他的中文水平感到很惊讶。(Wǒ duì tā de Zhōngwén shuǐpíng gǎndào hěn jīngyà.) - I feel very surprised by his Chinese level.

Common Mistake Example:

• Incorrect: `我看到他的车，我很惊人。` (Wǒ kàndào tā de chē, wǒ hěn jīngrén.)
• Why it's wrong: This sentence means “I saw his car, and I am an astonishing person.” You are describing yourself, not your feeling.
• Correct versions:
  • 他的车很惊人。(Tā de chē hěn jīngrén.) - His car is amazing.
  • 我看到他的车，感到很惊讶。(Wǒ kàndào tā de chē, gǎndào hěn jīngyà.) - I saw his car and felt very surprised.

• 惊讶 (jīngyà) - “Surprised.” Describes a person's feeling, whereas 惊人 describes the thing causing the feeling.
• 吃惊 (chījīng) - “To be startled/shocked.” A verb describing the personal reaction of being surprised, often more sudden than 惊讶.
• 不可思议 (bùkěsīyì) - “Inconceivable, unbelievable.” A stronger idiom (chengyu) than 惊人. It implies something is so strange or amazing that it's hard to even think about or comprehend.
• 厉害 (lìhai) - “Awesome, formidable.” More informal and colloquial than 惊人. It's often used to praise a person's skill or ability directly (e.g., 你真厉害! - You're so awesome!).
• 令人震惊 (lìngrén zhènjīng) - “To cause people to be shocked.” A more formal, four-character phrase that is very similar in meaning and usage to 惊人. Literally “to make people shocked.”
• 夸张 (kuāzhāng) - “Exaggerated, to exaggerate.” Describes something that is overstated or over-the-top, while 惊人 describes something that is genuinely and objectively astonishing.
• 意外 (yìwài) - “Unexpected, accident.” Refers to something unforeseen. A surprise party is 意外, but the scale of the party might be 惊人.