赞叹 is a compound verb meaning 'to exclaim in admiration' or 'to praise with heartfelt awe.' It combines 赞 (zàn), meaning 'to praise' or 'to commend,' and 叹 (tàn), meaning 'to sigh' or 'to exclaim'—together evoking a spontaneous, emotionally charged reaction of wonder or respect. Unlike simple praise (e.g., 表扬), 赞叹 emphasizes the speaker’s genuine emotional response, often triggered by something exceptional: outstanding skill, natural beauty, moral courage, or unexpected achievement.

This word is commonly used in both spoken and written Chinese, especially in formal descriptions, literary writing, or thoughtful speech. It typically appears as a predicate verb (e.g., 令人赞叹 — 'causes admiration') or after subjects expressing people’s reactions (e.g., 大家纷纷赞叹). It rarely takes an object directly; instead, it's often followed by a clause introduced by '道' (said) or used with structures like '对…赞叹不已' ('to admire … endlessly').