撼 (hàn) - to shake & to vibrate

撼Tone 4

hàn ｜ 16 strokes ｜ radical:

枫惠

撼 · hàn

to shake;

to vibrate;

to rock;

to move;

to affect deeply;

to stir emotionally.

to shaketo vibrateto rock

Usage highlights

shake the worlddeeply movingshake heaven and earthearthshake violentlyemotional impact

Synonyms

  • 摇— to shake, to rock
  • 震— to vibrate, to quake
  • 动— to move, to stir

Antonyms

  • 稳— stable, steady
  • 定— fixed, settled
  • 静— still, quiet

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The earthquake shook the entire city (撼动了整个城市).
  • His speech deeply moved the audience (撼动了听众).
  • The strong wind shook the trees violently (撼动了树木).
  • This discovery could shake the scientific community (撼动科学界).

Collocations

  • shake the world(撼动世界)
  • deeply moving(撼人心魄)
  • shake heaven and earth(撼天动地)
  • earth-shaking(震撼天地)
  • shake violently(猛烈撼动)
  • emotional impact(情感震撼)

Idioms

  • Earth-shattering and heaven-shaking(震撼天地)
  • Shake the mountains and overturn the seas(撼山倒海)
  • Shake the heart and startle the soul(撼心动魄)
  • Shake the world and startle the vulgar(撼世惊俗)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Often used in classical Chinese literature to describe powerful natural forces or profound emotional impact.
  • Frequently appears in military contexts describing the overwhelming force of an army.
  • Common in modern usage to describe groundbreaking discoveries or emotionally powerful events.

FAQ