noun / adjective HSK 5
panic · panicky · to panic
Meaning
恐慌 describes a state of sudden, overwhelming fear or anxiety that leads to irrational behavior. It can refer to both the emotional state of panic and situations where large groups of people lose control due to fear, such as during emergencies or financial crises.
Usage
Often used in formal contexts like news reports, especially for mass panic situations (金融恐慌 financial panic, 市场恐慌 market panic). In everyday speech, Chinese speakers might use simpler words like 害怕 or 紧张 for personal fear, reserving 恐慌 for more serious or widespread situations.
Examples
- 01地震发生后，人们陷入了恐慌。, .After the earthquake occurred, people fell into a panic.
- 02不要恐慌，我们有足够的时间撤离。, .Don't panic, we have enough time to evacuate.
Characters
Common collocations
- 感到恐慌to feel panicked
- 引起恐慌to cause panic
- 金融恐慌financial panic
- 陷入恐慌to fall into panic
Antonyms
Origin
Both characters relate to fear: 恐 (fear) combines 工 (work) with 心 (heart), while 慌 combines 忄(heart radical) with 荒 (wild/desolate), together intensifying the meaning of confused, overwhelming fear.