The timing of the shake could not have been more unkind, coming as it did only a week before the fifth anniversary of the February 22, 2011 magnitude 6.3 earthquake, which killed 185 people.
Sunday's quake - on the afternoon of Valentine's Day - was centred offshore, 15km east of the city, at a depth of 15km.
It was officially a large aftershock, one of more than 10,000 to have been recorded since the September 2010 magnitude 7.1 Darfield earthquake, which marked the beginning of this fateful era for the region.
Thankfully, no-one was seriously injured in the latest quake.
There was only minor damage, and new infrastructure has reportedly held up well.
Prime Minister John Key and Christchurch Mayor Lianne Dalziel are saying this shows residents can have confidence in their city.
Certainly it is reassuring (given the substantial investment in the rebuild so far) that the coffers are not back to square one.
But for some, the quake will have been a blow to their self-confidence. Many people found it frightening.
Combine the images of crumbling cliffs near Sumner and the resulting dust clouds, the spectre of liquefaction raising its unwanted head again, stock tumbling from shop shelves, and buildings evacuated, and it is clear the incident has renewed the trauma for some.
It has been heartbreaking to hear those interviewed, tremors in their voices, fears and tears close to the surface once again.
Some people have clearly had enough - of the uncertainty, the fear, the disruption, and have said they will consider leaving the city.
Many already have during the past five years.
And, lest we forget, a few people are still - nearly five years on - waiting for insurance claims to be sorted out, waiting for building or rebuilding work to be done on their homes.
Residents are still waiting for roads to be repaired, for the ubiquitous orange road cones to disappear, for red-zoned areas to be given a new lease of life, for the fate of the cathedral to be decided, for the bulk of the central business district work to ramp up, for the swaths of empty sections to be filled, for the early optimism and determination to translate into more visible signs of regeneration.
While there has been progress (including much of the largely invisible infrastructure), many feel the post-earthquake reconstruction work has been painfully slow.
Would the aftershocks be any easier to bear if there was a more palpable sense of achievement and permanence?
It is impossible to know.
What is known is Sunday's quake has now raised the chance of there being another Christchurch earthquake/aftershock between magnitude 5 and 5.9 in the next year to 63% from 49%.
Already there have been dozens of smaller aftershocks.
The words "resilience'' and "resolve'' are frequently used to describe Cantabrians' courage in the face of adversity, although these platitudes must be wearing thin.
The fact is most people are simply left with no choice but to manage their fear, and grimace and bear the aftershocks, an ongoing rocky reminder that we live on shaky isles in a world full of uncertainty, with much beyond our control.
