惊心动魄

jīng xīn dòng pò

thrilling; breathtaking; nerve-racking

Character by character

惊jīng
startle

心xīn
heart

动dòng
stir

魄pò
soul

那场比赛直到最后一秒才分出胜负，真是惊心动魄。

That match was not decided until the final second; it was absolutely nerve-racking.

Tone: neutral.

Of fights, races, rescues and narrow escapes: 惊心动魄的场面／一幕／时刻. 魄 is the soul (as in 魄力), not 迫.

Learn this in Lesson 67 · HSK 6: 《黑神话：悟空》 (Black Myth: Wukong and the games industry)

A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. The first lessons of every level are free.