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細思極恐

简细思极恐 · 繁細思極恐

Mandarin · pinyin xì sī jí kǒng

scary to think about (coll.) (coined c. 2013)

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Characters in this entry

細: xì · fine, tiny; slender, thin
思: sī · think, consider, ponder; final particle
極: Look up this written character
恐: kǒng · fear; fearful, apprehensive
细: xì · fine, tiny; slender, thin
极: jí · extreme, utmost, furthest, final

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

4–1–2–3 · xi4 si1 ji2 kong3

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Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

細思極恐 · find source passages ↗ · 细思极恐 · find source passages ↗

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

phrase

(Mainland China, neologism, Internet slang) alternative form of 細思恐極 /细思恐极 (xìsīkǒngjí, “The more one thinks about it, the more petrified one becomes.”)

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

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