惊诧
jīng chà · HSK 7
to be surprised
😲 惊 startle + 诧 astonish = double-shock, both halves mean caught off guard
惊 carries the heart-radical 忄 for a jolt of fright; 诧 carries the speech-radical 讠 for a gasped what?! Stack the alarm and the gasp and you get 惊诧 = stunned amazement.
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.