吓唬

• Pinyin: xià hu
• Hanzi breakdown: 吓 = 口 + 下 (mouth + below — a cry that makes one shrink); 唬 = 虍 + 口 (tiger + mouth — bluffing with force)

Meaning

To frighten; to intimidate; to scare someone deliberately. Implies a purposeful act of causing fear, often through threats, bluffing, or alarming behaviour.

Commonly used in everyday and colloquial speech. Often implies that the scare is exaggerated or not entirely genuine — a bluff or mock threat. Can be used of children frightening each other, adults making empty threats, or animals startling people. Less formal than 威胁 (to threaten) and more focused on the emotional reaction of fear.

Examples

1. 他故意把假蜘蛛放在妹妹的书包里，想吓唬她，结果妹妹的反应却出乎所有人的意料。 He deliberately put a fake spider in his little sister’s backpack to scare her, but her reaction surprised everyone.
2. 那位谈判代表的强硬措辞不过是一种吓唬对方的策略，双方都清楚最终仍需妥协。 The negotiator’s harsh wording was just a tactic to intimidate the other side; both sides knew they would still have to compromise in the end.
3. 小孩子们在万圣节前夕互相吓唬，笑声和尖叫声交织在一起，充满了节日气氛。 On Halloween night, kids scare each other, with laughter and shrieks mixing together and filling the air with holiday spirit.

Usage Guide

Context: daily life, negotiation, children

Tone: light

Do Say

• 你别想用这些空洞的威胁来吓唬我，我在这个行业待了二十年，见过比这复杂得多的局面，什么样的压力手段没有应对过。(Don't think you can frighten me with these hollow threats — I've been in this industry for twenty years and have dealt with far more complex situations and every kind of pressure tactic imaginable.)
• 他一顿厉声训斥把新来的实习生吓唬坏了，但大家后来发现他其实外严内热。(His stern scolding really frightened the new intern at first, but later everyone found that he was strict on the outside and warm-hearted inside.)

Don't Say

• 吓唬 in formal written contexts such as legal documents or official reports — use 威胁 or 恐吓 instead, which carry the appropriate gravity and legal precision

Origin & History

吓 (to frighten) + 唬 (to bluff, to intimidate — 虍 + 唬, tiger radical suggesting intimidating force)

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal