虚惊一场
xū jīng yī chǎng
a false alarm; a scare over nothing
Character by character
虚xū
false
false
惊jīng
fright
fright
一yī
one
one
场chǎng
bout
bout
Example
听说孩子在学校受了伤，妈妈急忙赶过去，结果只是擦破了一点儿皮，虚惊一场。
Told that her child had been hurt at school, the mother rushed over, only to find a little graze: a scare over nothing.
Tone: neutral.
Usage and origin
Said afterwards, with relief, when a feared danger turns out not to be real: 原来是虚惊一场, 一场虚惊. 场 is the measure word for an episode. Compare 有惊无险 (lesson 1-25), where the danger was real but passed without harm.
Learn this in Lesson 142 · HSK 7–9: 追尾以后 (After a bump)
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.
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