Meaning of 波浪
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- wave
How to use 波浪
波浪 is a fairly formal or descriptive noun for waves on water, common in writing, news, and literature. It can also describe wave-like shapes, as in 波浪形 (bōlàng xíng, wavy shape). Example: 海上的波浪很大。(Hǎi shàng de bōlàng hěn dà.) The waves on the sea are very big.
Both characters have the water radical 氵 on the left, so think of two kinds of moving water side by side. 波 (bō) is water plus 皮 (pí, skin), like the rippling skin on the surface of water, and 浪 (làng) is water plus 良 (liáng) for the bigger rolling waves.
Common mistake: Learners often write 波 with the wrong right side, confusing 皮 (pí) with 支 or mixing it up with 坡 (pō, slope), which has the earth radical instead of water. Also keep the tones straight: bō is first tone and làng is fourth, not bó or láng.
波浪 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
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浪 làng · wave · 10 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 波浪.
| 浪费 | làngfèi | to waste; to squander |
| 浪漫 | làngmàn | romantic |
| 海浪 | hǎilàng | sea wave |
| 波动 | bōdòng | to undulate; to fluctuate |
| 微波炉 | wēibōlú | microwave oven |
| 流浪 | liúlàng | to drift about; to wander |
| 冲浪 | chōnglàng | to surf; surfing |
| 奔波 | bēnbō | to rush about; to be constantly on the move |
| 波及 | bōjí | to spread to; to involve |
| 风浪 | fēnglàng | wind and waves; rough waters; (fig.) hardship |
| 风波 | fēngbō | disturbance; crisis |
| 波涛 | bōtāo | billows; great waves; surging waves |
Questions about 波浪
What does 波浪 mean?
波浪 (bōlàng) means "wave" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 波浪?
波浪 is made of 2 characters: 波 (8 strokes), 浪 (10 strokes). That is 18 strokes in total.
Is 波浪 an HSK word?
Yes. 波浪 is on the HSK 6 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 波浪 and 海浪?
海浪 (hǎilàng) specifically means waves on the sea. 波浪 is more general and can refer to waves on any body of water or to wave-like patterns.
Can 波浪 be used for things that are not water?
Yes, it can describe wavy shapes such as 波浪形的头发 (bōlàng xíng de tóufa, wavy hair). For figurative ups and downs like prices, Chinese usually uses 波动 (bōdòng) instead.