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驚天動地 (きょうてんどうち) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

驚きょう天てん動どう地ち

きょ

う

て

ん

ど

う

ち

Meanings

1

noun, noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no'

astounding; world-shaking; earth-shattering

yojijukugo (four-character idiom)

Describes something so surprising or momentous that it feels as if heaven and earth are shaken. Often used for shocking news, discoveries, or events.

その発はっ見けんは科か学がく界かいに驚きょう天てん動どう地ちのニュースをもたらした。
The discovery brought earth-shattering news to the scientific community.

驚きょう天てん動どう地ちの大だい事じ件けんが起おこった。

A world-shaking event occurred.

Kanji

驚wonder, be surprised, frightened
天heavens, sky, imperial
動move, motion, change
地ground, earth

Similar words

前ぜん代だい未み聞もん
前代未聞 emphasizes that something is unprecedented or unheard of, while 驚天動地 focuses on the shocking, world-shaking impact.
青せい天てんの霹へき靂れき
青天の霹靂 is a bolt from the blue, stressing sudden unexpectedness, whereas 驚天動地 emphasizes the magnitude of the shock.

Etymology

A yojijukugo of Chinese origin, literally 'startle heaven, move earth'. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the phrase is conventionally used to describe events of immense impact.