Chinese word

雷

Pronunciation

Pinyinléi

Meaning

  • nounthunder

Example

我听到雷声了。wǒ tīng dào léi shēng le

I heard thunder.

Illustration for 雷 (thunder)

More examples

窗外传来阵阵雷声。chuāng wài zhuàn lái zhèn zhèn léi shēng

Peals of thunder came from outside the window.

Core concept

The deep crack or rumble that makes a storm audible.

Common phrases

  • 雷声léi shēng

    sound of thunder

  • 雷雨léi yǔ

    thunderstorm

Similar words

雷声léi shēng: The sound of thunder itself, whether a brief boom or a rolling noise.
闪电shǎn diàn: A powerful burst of light that briefly appears in the stormy sky.

Definition in Chinese

雷电过程产生的强烈声响，听起来可以是短促的爆裂声或延续的轰鸣声，常与闪电同时出现。léi diàn guò chéng chǎn shēng de qiáng liè shēng xiǎng tīng qǐ lái ké yǐ shì duǎn cù de bào liè shēng huò yán xù de hōng míng shēng cháng yǔ shǎn diàn tóng shí chū xiàn

Word origin

The character 雷 (léi, "thunder") has long been associated with the rain radical, giving the written form a clear weather setting for this storm sound.

Usage tips

  • English also uses thunder as a verb for loud speech or movement, but the Chinese noun keeps the ordinary weather sense, so that figurative English use does not transfer automatically.

Related words

  • 雷电léi diànthunder and lightningnoun
  • 雷声léi shēngsound of thundernoun

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