Chinese word

水灾

Pronunciation

Pinyinshuǐ zāi

Meaning

  • nounflood

Example

水灾之后，很多房子被淹没了。shuǐ zāi zhī hòu hěn duō fáng zi bèi yān mò le

After the flood, many houses were submerged.

Illustration for 水灾 (flood)

More examples

城市排水不畅会加重水灾的影响。chéng shì pái shuǐ bú chàng huì jiā zhòng shuǐ zāi de yíng xiǎng

Poor urban drainage can worsen the effects of flooding.

Core concept

A damaging mass of moving or standing water that makes ordinary land and buildings unusable.

Common phrases

  • 受到水灾影响shòu dào shuǐ zāi yíng xiǎng

    affected by flooding

  • 水灾频发shuǐ zāi pín fā

    frequent flooding

  • 水灾预警shuǐ zāi yù jǐng

    flood warning

Similar words

洪水hóng shuǐ: Water overflowing from rivers or heavy rain and spreading widely across towns and fields.
浸水jìn shuǐ: A state in which water covers the ground or enters buildings, making normal use impossible.

Definition in Chinese

因强降雨、河道泛滥、排水系统失效等导致的大量积水或流水，对房屋、道路或生命财产造成损害的自然灾害。yīn qiáng jiàng yǔ hé dào fàn làn pái shuǐ xì tǒng shī xiào děng dǎo zhì de dà liàng jī shuǐ huò liú shuǐ duì fáng wū dào lù huò shēng mìng cái chǎn zào chéng sǔn hài de zì rán zāi hài

Word origin

The compound 水 (shuǐ, "water") + 灾 (zāi, "disaster") places the cause before the resulting harm, making the word a transparent name for a water-caused disaster.

Usage tips

  • The word can refer to both the event and the condition left behind, so English context may favor an event-focused or process-focused expression rather than one fixed form.

Other meanings

  • floodingnoun
  • overflownoun

Opposites

Related words

  • 水灾隐患shuǐ zāi yǐn huànpotential flood risknoun
  • 水灾保险shuǐ zāi báo xiǎnflood insurancenoun

Word lists with this word