怖気おぞけを震ふるう

also: おじけをふるう

Meanings

1

expression, godan verb (-u)

be horrified; be filled with trepidation; shudder with fear

Literary or emphatic expression for being so frightened that one trembles. Often used in narrative or dramatic contexts.

その話はなしを聞きいて、思おもわず怖気おぞけを震ふるった。
Hearing that story, I couldn't help but shudder with fear.
彼かれは幽ゆう霊れいの

気け

配はい

に

怖気おぞけ

を

震ふる

い

、

声こえ

も

出で

なかっ

た

。

He shuddered with fear at the presence of the ghost and couldn't even speak.

Written forms

怖気を震う
- おぞけをふるう
  Standard kanji form; 震う conveys 'tremble/shudder' and fits the meaning well.
- おじけをふるう
怖気を振るう
irregular kanji usage
- おぞけをふるう
  Variant with 振るう; it is irregular kanji usage, but it is seen in practice.
- おじけをふるう
おじけをふるう
Kana spelling for the alternative reading おじけをふるう; also used.

Kanji

怖dreadful, be frightened, fearful
気spirit, mind, air
震quake, shake, tremble
振

Similar words

怖こわがる
怖がる is a common everyday verb for 'to be scared/frightened', while 怖気を震う is a more intense, literary expression implying physical trembling from fear.
震ふるえ上あがる
震え上がる also means 'to tremble with fear', but it is an intransitive verb and more colloquial; 怖気を震う is a set phrase with a more dramatic, literary tone.

Etymology

Compound of 怖気 (fear, dread) + を + 震う (tremble, shudder). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but it follows a common pattern of noun + を + verb for idiomatic expressions.

shake, wave, wag