Chinese word

爆竹

Pronunciation

Pinyinbào zhú

Meaning

  • nounfirecracker

Example

我们在新年放爆竹。wǒ men zài xīn nián fàng bào zhú

We set off firecrackers at New Year.

Illustration for 爆竹 (firecracker)

More examples

孩子们一听到爆竹声就跑到窗前去看。hái zi men yì tīng dào bào zhú shēng jiù pǎo dào chuāng qián qù kàn

As soon as the children hear the sound of firecrackers, they run to the window to watch.

Core concept

A small festive object whose brief explosion marks celebration through sound rather than through a lasting display.

Common phrases

  • 听见爆竹声tīng jiàn bào zhú shēng

    hear the sound of firecrackers

  • 点燃爆竹diǎn rán bào zhú

    light a firecracker

Similar words

鞭炮biān pào: A traditional festive set of powder-filled tubes burned to produce a continuing series of loud bangs.
炮仗pào zhàng: A narrow paper tube packed with gunpowder that erupts noisily soon after being lit.
烟花yān huā: A general term for fireworks used to display colorful shapes and lights in the night sky.

Definition in Chinese

装填火药、点燃后瞬时爆裂并发出响声的传统庆祝用具，常用于节日祈福或烘托气氛。zhuāng tián huǒ yào diǎn rán hòu shùn shí bào liè bìng fā chū xiǎng shēng de chuán tǒng qìng zhù yòng jù cháng yòng yú jié rì qí fú huò hōng tuō qì fēn

Word origin

爆 (bào, "burst") + 竹 (zhú, "bamboo") recalls early bamboo tubes that split or cracked loudly and later held gunpowder.

Usage tips

  • English speakers may use firework broadly for festive pyrotechnics, but this word specifically highlights a device known for its sharp report rather than mainly for a visual display.

Opposites

Related words

  • 烟花爆竹yān huā bào zhúfireworks and firecrackersnoun
  • 爆竹摊bào zhú tānfirecracker stallnoun

Word lists with this word