The term “sticker shock” is widely used in the United States to refer to anexclamation of surprise when seeing the price tag of a bunch of items andrealizing the damage is much greater than originally expected. This may cause aperson to have second thoughts about the purchase.

“价签休克”这个词在美国用得很多，指人们在看到某些商品的价格标签时表现出的惊讶，同时意识到这些商品的花费比之前想象的要高出很多。这种情况下人们一般会重新考虑是否要购买这些商品。toefl官网

It is believed that the term originated in the 1970s, when automobilesbecame substantially more expensive due to increased government regulation. Inthe United States, many car dealers price their cars with very large stickerswhich can readily be seen by passerby, with the intent of drawing people intothe lot. As prices rose, these stickers might have indeed seemed shocking,especially since inflation was rising at the same time as well.

据说，“价签休克”这个说法出现于上世纪70年代，当时，因为政府管控的原因，汽车价格日渐高涨。在美国，很多汽车经销商把汽车的价格写在很大的贴纸上，这样行人经过时都能清楚看到，同时也能吸引人们进入销售大厅。因为价格上涨，尤其是通货膨胀也在同时加剧的情况下，那些汽车价签看上去可能的确有些让人吃惊。

Some people also use the term when they express dismay at unexpectedcharges on bills, although this could more correctly be termed “bill shock.”

有些人也会用sticker shock这个说法来表达收到高额帐单时的惊讶，但其实这种情况更确切的表达应该是bill shock(帐单休克)。