HSK · Level 23
135 words
Chinese word
爆
Pronunciation
Pinyinbào
Meaning
- verbexplode
Example
气球爆了。qì qiú bào le
The balloon exploded.
More examples
实验室的化学品不慎爆炸，幸好无人受伤。shí yàn shì de huà xué pǐn bú shèn bào zhà xìng hǎo wú rén shòu shāng
The laboratory chemicals accidentally exploded, but fortunately no one was injured.
Core concept
Something under pressure breaks open at once, releasing energy with a sharp outward force.
Common phrases
爆炸bào zhà
explode
轮胎爆裂lún tāi bào liè
tire blowout
爆出bào chū
expose
Similar words
爆炸bào zhà: Explodes from rapid burning or a chemical reaction, with great force and noise.
爆发bào fā: Suddenly releases built-up pressure, emotion, or energy in a powerful burst.
炸裂zhà liè: Tears apart with great force, producing a loud sound and flying fragments.
Definition in Chinese
迅速而猛烈地裂开或释放出能量，既可指物体的破裂，也可指情绪或事件的突然爆发。xùn sù ér měng liè dì liè kāi huò shì fàng chū néng liàng jì kě zhǐ wù tǐ de pò liè yě kě zhǐ qíng xù huò shì jiàn de tū rán bào fā
Word origin
爆 (bào, "to explode") is a phono-semantic character made from 火 (huǒ, "fire") + 暴 (bào, "violent"); 火 indicates the meaning area and 暴 gives the bào sound.
Usage tips
- For a thing that breaks open on its own, Chinese commonly places the thing before the verb and leaves no object after it, making an intransitive pattern natural in everyday speech.