Chinese has a lot of ways to say you're scared.

Here are three advanced idioms which can be used to convey that meaning.

But... they're all slightly different!

1/ "Shudder without cold" (不寒而栗 bù hán ér lì) — involuntary dread

A chill that runs through you. The kind of fear triggered by imagining something terrible — a worst-case scenario playing out in your head.

Example:

If we don't act, what comes next could make us shudder. 如果我们不采取行动，未来的场景可能令人不寒而栗。

2/ "Heart startled, gallbladder trembling" (心惊胆战 xīn jīng dǎn zhàn) — paralysed with fear

Active, immediate terror. You're scared right now and it shows. Good for describing someone visibly shaken in the moment.

Example:

Sitting at your desk updating your CV while your colleagues are being called in one by one. 坐在工位上心惊胆战地投简历。

3/ "Like sitting on a bed of needles" (如坐针毡 rú zuò zhēn zhān) — on tenterhooks

The unbearable tension of not knowing what's coming. You can't settle, can't focus, and can't sit still.

Example:

Waiting for the announcement, nobody could settle to anything. 大家都如坐针毡，等待着公司的通知。

Key difference: 不寒而栗 is the cold shudder of imagining something awful. 心惊胆战 is being visibly terrified in the moment. 如坐针毡 is the agony of waiting and not knowing.