動揺

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 動揺 is read as どうよう and is a noun and する verb for emotional agitation or distress that shakes a person’s composure.
• Basic usage: Being shaken by news appears in 知らせに動揺する, while concealing the feeling appears in 内心の動揺を隠す.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Loss of composure
  • It is stronger than ordinary worry and suggests that a sudden stimulus has shaken judgment or behavior.
• Difference from 不安
  • Compared with continuing anxiety about what may happen, this word focuses on being shaken in response to an event.