Meaning of 波动
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to undulate
- to fluctuate
- wave motion
- rise and fall
How to use 波动
波动 is often used for prices, markets, emotions, and data that go up and down. It works as a verb or a noun, and it often appears with words like 价格 (jiàgé, price) or 情绪 (qíngxù, mood). Example: 最近油价波动很大。(Zuìjìn yóujià bōdòng hěn dà.) Oil prices have fluctuated a lot recently.
波 (bō) means wave and has the water radical 氵 on the left, and 动 (dòng) means to move. Picture water waves moving up and down, and you have 波动: something that rises and falls like waves.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes write 波 (bō) as 坡 (pō, slope) or 破 (pò, broken), which share the 皮 part but have different radicals. Remember that waves need water, so 波 takes 氵.
波动 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
波 bō · waves · 8 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
动 dòng · to move · 6 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
Related words
Words that share a character with 波动.
| 动作 | dòngzuò | movement; motion; action; to act; to move |
| 行动 | xíngdòng | operation; action |
| 动物 | dòngwù | animal |
| 活动 | huódòng | to exercise; to move about; to work out; shaky; unsteady; loose (tooth etc) |
| 运动 | yùndòng | to move; to exercise |
| 感动 | gǎndòng | to move (sb); to touch (sb emotionally) |
| 动物园 | dòngwùyuán | zoo |
| 发动 | fādòng | to start; to launch |
| 自动 | zìdòng | automatic; voluntarily |
| 主动 | zhǔdòng | to take the initiative; to do sth of one's own accord |
| 动力 | dònglì | motive power; (fig.) motivation; impetus |
| 推动 | tuīdòng | to push (e.g. for acceptance of a plan); to promote; to give impetus to |
Questions about 波动
What does 波动 mean?
波动 (bōdòng) means "to undulate; to fluctuate" and is used as a verb.
How do you write 波动?
波动 is made of 2 characters: 波 (8 strokes), 动 (6 strokes). That is 14 strokes in total.
Is 波动 an HSK word?
Yes. 波动 is on the HSK 6 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 波动 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 波动 is written 波動.
What is the difference between 波动 and 变化?
变化 (biànhuà) means any change in general. 波动 specifically means going up and down repeatedly, like a wave, so it suits unstable prices or moods rather than a one-time change.
Can 波动 describe a person's feelings?
Yes. 情绪波动 (qíngxù bōdòng) means mood swings or emotional ups and downs, for example 她最近情绪波动很大 (She has had big mood swings lately).