What is the difference between に and で with 震える?

Question

For example:

寒さに震える and 寒さで震える

恐怖に震える and 恐怖で震える

It seems like they both mean the same thing?

Answer 1

There is not much difference in these particular cases. Both に and で indicate a cause.

Having said that, I personally sense a subtle difference in nuance. The sentence with に in each pair brings me a more vivid image of the subject enduring the cold or the fear, shivering. This may be because the particle に makes me imagine the subject in that situation. It also sounds a bit literary. The sentence with で sounds to me more neutral and matter-of-fact. But this is subjective.