人じん心しん恟きょう々きょう

Meanings

taru-adjective, adverb taking the 'to' particle

panic-stricken; alarmed; frightened (of the masses)

rare termyojijukugo (four-character idiom)

Rare literary yojijukugo describing a state where people's hearts are agitated and fearful, often used in historical or formal contexts to depict public panic or mass alarm.

戦せん争そうの噂うわさに人じん心しん恟きょう々きょうとして、町まちは混こん乱らんした。
With rumors of war, the people were panic-stricken and the town fell into chaos.
人じん心しん恟きょう々きょうたる有あり様さまで、誰だれも冷れい静せいではいられなかった。
In a state of mass alarm, no one could remain calm.

Kanji

人person
心heart, mind, spirit
恟fear
洶gush forth, surge

Related words

人じん心しん
人心 means 'human heart' or 'people's minds' in general, while 人心恟々 specifically describes a state of collective panic or alarm.
恐きょう慌こう
恐慌 is a more common word for 'panic' or 'economic crisis', whereas 人心恟々 is a rare literary expression focusing on the emotional state of the masses.

Built from

人じん心しん+恟きょう々きょう

Written forms

人じん心しん恟きょう々きょう
Rare yojijukugo; the 々 iteration mark is standard. The variant 人心恟恟 is also attested.
人じん心しん洶きょう々きょう
Alternate kanji form using 洶 instead of 恟; both are rare and literary.
人じん心しん恟きょう恟きょう
Variant without the iteration mark; less common than 人心恟々.
人じん心しん洶きょう洶きょう
Variant combining 洶 and repeated kanji; very rare.

Etymology

A yojijukugo of Chinese origin, combining 人心 (people's hearts) with 恟々 (fearful, agitated). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but it follows classical Chinese patterns for describing collective emotional states.