Chinese word

浩劫

Pronunciation

Pinyinhào jié

Meaning

  • noundisaster

Example

那场台风几乎成为一场浩劫。nà chǎng tái fēng jī hū chéng wéi yì cháng hào jié

That typhoon nearly became a disaster.

Illustration for 浩劫 (disaster)

More examples

该城在灾害后遭到浩劫。gāi chéng zài zāi hài hòu zāo dào hào jié

The city suffered a catastrophe after the disaster.

Core concept

A calamity so extensive that its damage reaches many lives and places at once.

Common phrases

  • 遭到浩劫zāo dào hào jié

    suffer a disaster

  • 幸免于浩劫xìng miǎn yú hào jié

    escape a disaster

Similar words

灾难zāi nàn: A serious disaster that brings great damage, suffering, or loss.
危机wēi jī: A dangerous and unstable situation that threatens safety or continued survival.

Definition in Chinese

用于表示造成严重破坏并影响大量人群或地区的重大灾害或惨剧。yòng yú biǎo shì zào chéng yán zhòng pò huài bìng yíng xiǎng dà liàng rén qún huò dì qū de zhòng dà zāi hài huò cǎn jù

Word origin

浩劫 (hàojié, "catastrophe") is formed from 浩 (hào, "vast") + 劫 (jié, "calamity"), joining great scope with severe disaster.

Usage tips

  • The word has a solemn, formal tone, so it suits public discussion of widespread suffering better than casual talk about a private problem.

Other meanings

  • catastrophenoun
  • calamitynoun

Opposites

Word lists with this word