心驚肉跳

心惊肉跳
xīnjīngròutiào
lit. heart alarmed, body leaping (idiom); fear and trepidation in the face of disaster

CEDICT

to palpitate with anxiety and fear; to be filled with apprehension

Wiktionary

形容恐懼不安，心神不寧，以為災禍將臨。《紅樓夢．第一○五回》：「賈政在外，心驚肉跳，拈鬚搓手的等候旨意。」也作「心驚肉戰」。

重編國語辭典

Entry Composition

1 心驚 xīnjīng
  1. fearful
  2. apprehensive
2 肉 ròu
  1. meat
  2. flesh
  3. pulp (of a fruit)
  4. (coll.) (of a fruit) squashy
  5. (of a person) flabby
  6. irresolute
  7. Kangxi radical 130
3 跳 tiào
  1. to jump
  2. to hop
  3. to skip over
  4. to bounce
  5. to palpitate