受惊
shoù jīng · HSK 7
startled
😨 受惊 = 受 receive + 惊 fright, so to receive a fright = startled
受 means to receive or undergo; 惊 means fright or alarm (it carries the 心 heart radical for emotion). Put them together and you receive a fright, which is exactly what being startled is.
受 — hand 爫 (top) + 冖 + hand 又 (bottom)
Originally a pictograph showing two hands passing an object (the middle 冖 represented a boat or tray) between them. It depicted the act of giving and receiving, so the character meant both 'to give' and 'to receive.' Later 授 was created with the hand radical 扌 to mean 'give,' leaving 受 to mean 'receive' or 'accept.'
惊 — horse 马 + respect 敬 (phonetic)
Originally written 驚 with 馬 (horse) as the meaning component and 敬 as the phonetic, depicting a horse startled or frightened. The simplified form 惊 replaces 馬 with 忄 (heart radical), shifting the imagery to a startled mind. The core meaning is to be alarmed, surprised, or shocked.