Meaning of 爆炸
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- explosion
- to explode
- to blow up
- to detonate
How to use 爆炸
爆炸 works as a verb (to explode) and as a noun (an explosion), and it often describes bombs, gas, or accidents. It is also used figuratively, as in 信息爆炸 (xìnxī bàozhà, information explosion). Example: 工厂发生了爆炸。(Gōngchǎng fāshēng le bàozhà.) An explosion happened at the factory.
Both 爆 (bào) and 炸 (zhà) contain the fire radical 火 on the left, so picture fire on fire: two blasts of flame that make one big explosion.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 爆炸 with 爆发 (bàofā). 爆发 is for wars, volcanoes, or emotions breaking out, while 爆炸 is a physical blast. Also note that 炸 is fourth tone here; read as zhá (second tone) it means to deep-fry, as in 炸鸡 (zhájī).
爆炸 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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炸 zhà · to burst · 9 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 爆炸.
| 炸弹 | zhàdàn | bomb |
| 爆发 | bàofā | to break out; to erupt; to explode; to burst out |
| 炸药 | zhàyào | explosive; blasting agent; dynamite |
| 轰炸 | hōngzhà | to bomb; to bombard |
| 爆满 | bàomǎn | filled to capacity (of theater, stadium, gymnasium etc) |
| 爆竹 | bàozhú | firecracker |
| 爆冷门 | bào lěngmén | an upset (esp. in sports); unexpected turn of events |
| 引爆 | yǐnbào | to ignite; to detonate |
| 炸掉 | zhàdiào | to bomb |
| 轰炸机 | hōngzhàjī | bomber (aircraft) |
| 炸毁 | zhàhuǐ | to blow up; to destroy with explosives |
| 打爆 | dǎbào | to blow out; to blow off |
Questions about 爆炸
What does 爆炸 mean?
爆炸 (bàozhà) means "explosion; to explode" and is used as a verb.
How do you write 爆炸?
爆炸 is made of 2 characters: 爆 (19 strokes), 炸 (9 strokes). That is 28 strokes in total.
Is 爆炸 an HSK word?
Yes. 爆炸 is on the HSK 6 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
Can 爆炸 take a direct object, like 'explode a bomb'?
Usually not. 爆炸 is intransitive, so you say 炸弹爆炸了 (the bomb exploded). To say someone set off a bomb, use 引爆 (yǐnbào) or 炸 alone, as in 炸桥 (zhà qiáo, to blow up a bridge).
Can 爆炸 describe a person getting angry?
In casual speech, yes. People say 我快爆炸了 (Wǒ kuài bàozhà le) to mean 'I am about to explode' from anger or stress. In formal writing, 爆发 or 发火 (fāhuǒ) is more common for anger.