爆发 meaning in English
to break out; to erupt; to explode; to burst out
Meaning of 爆发
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to break out; to erupt; to explode; to burst out
How to use 爆发
爆发 is used for sudden, large events such as wars, volcanoes, epidemics, and strong emotions. It usually describes something that was building up and then breaks out. Example: 火山爆发了。(Huǒshān bàofā le.) The volcano erupted.
爆 (bào) has the fire radical 火 on the left, so think of something bursting in flames. 发 (fā) means to send out, so 爆发 is fire bursting out all at once.
Common mistake: Learners often use 爆发 for small, everyday events. For those, use 发生 (fāshēng), as in 发生了一件事, not 爆发了一件事. Also, 爆 is fourth tone bào, not bāo or báo, so do not confuse it with 包 (bāo).
爆发 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.
爆 bào · to explode · 19 strokes
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发 fā · to send out · 5 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 爆发.
| 发现 | fāxiàn | to notice; to become aware of; to discover; to find; to detect |
| 出发 | chūfā | to set off; to start (on a journey); (fig.) to proceed from (a particular standpoint or ba |
| 头发 | tóufa | hair (on the head) |
| 发生 | fāshēng | to happen; to occur; to take place; to arise (e.g. 發生問題|发生问题[fa1 sheng1 wen4 ti2] "a probl |
| 发展 | fāzhǎn | development; growth |
| 发出 | fāchū | to issue (an order, decree etc); to send out; to dispatch; to produce (a sound); to let ou |
| 发明 | fāmíng | to invent; an invention |
| 沙发 | shāfā | (loanword) sofa (CL:條|条[tiao2],張|张[zhang1]); (Internet slang) first reply to a forum post |
| 发表 | fābiǎo | to issue; to publish |
| 发动 | fādòng | to start; to launch |
| 发送 | fāsòng | to transmit; to dispatch |
| 开发 | kāifā | to exploit (a resource); to open up (for development); to develop |
Questions about 爆发
What does 爆发 mean?
爆发 (bàofā) means "to break out; to erupt; to explode; to burst out" and is used as a verb.
How do you write 爆发?
爆发 is made of 2 characters: 爆 (19 strokes), 发 (5 strokes). That is 24 strokes in total.
Is 爆发 an HSK word?
Yes. 爆发 is on the HSK 6 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 爆发 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 爆发 is written 爆發.
What is the difference between 爆发 and 爆炸?
爆炸 (bàozhà) means a physical explosion, like a bomb or gas tank. 爆发 is broader. It covers wars, diseases, anger, and volcanoes breaking out.
Can 爆发 describe a person's feelings?
Yes. You can say 他的愤怒爆发了 (Tā de fènnù bàofā le), meaning his anger burst out. It suggests the feeling was held in for a while before it came out.