Is there a difference in the usage between 惊讶 and 吃惊? I know you can say “令人吃惊“ and “阵脚我吃了惊“.
Is there any way to divide the two?
yes, there is a way to tell the two apart.
惊讶 is mostly used as an adjective, like 惊讶的表情 which means 'a surprising face look'.
吃惊 is used as the same as 'be surprised', for example 我吃了一惊 which means 'I was surprised'.
The similar meaning but the different usages.
吃惊的 adj. / 吃惊地 adv. / 吃惊 v. (Maybe in fear, feel frighted)
惊讶的 adj. / 惊讶地 adv. but no verb form. (Just feel not that common in one's view)
In my opinion, the difference between the two is very small.
If there is a difference ,吃惊 is more used in oral.惊讶 is more used in written.
But i am not mean you can't use 吃惊 in written or 惊讶 in oral.
Distinguish the two,you will be more professional and careful.
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If you put some examples of when to use one or the other, it would help the OP be more professional and careful :) – tao Dec 18 '14 at 4:43
惊讶 emphasises more on the state after being surprised/shocked. 吃惊 emphasises more on the process when being surprised/shocked.
惊+讶isnoun + noun; while,吃+惊isverb + noun. As a result, you can 吃了一惊, but you can't 惊了一讶. Hmm, though I'm a native speaker, my grammar level is limited (high school I guess), so let's wait for real experts to explain this~ – Stan Nov 20 '14 at 17:53