Meaning of 闪电
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- lightning
Measure word: 道
How to use 闪电
闪电 is the everyday word for lightning and often appears with 打雷 (dǎléi, to thunder) when describing storms. It can also describe something very fast, as in 闪电战 (shǎndiànzhàn, blitzkrieg). Example: 外面又打雷又闪电。(Wàimiàn yòu dǎléi yòu shǎndiàn.) It is thundering and lightning outside.
闪 (shǎn) shows a person 人 peeking through a door 门, a quick flash of movement. Add 电 (diàn), electricity, and you get a flash of electricity in the sky: lightning.
Common mistake: Learners often write 闪 with 门 around 大 or 门 around 口 (问). The inside is 人. Also keep the tones straight: shǎn is third tone and diàn is fourth, not shān diān.
闪电 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.
闪 shǎn · to dodge · 5 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
电 diàn · lightning · 5 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
Related words
Words that share a character with 闪电.
| 电话 | diànhuà | telephone; phone call |
| 打电话 | dǎ diànhuà | to make a telephone call |
| 电影 | diànyǐng | movie; film |
| 电视 | diànshì | television; TV |
| 电脑 | diànnǎo | computer |
| 电影院 | diànyǐngyuàn | cinema; movie theater |
| 电视机 | diànshìjī | television set |
| 电台 | diàntái | transmitter-receiver; broadcasting station |
| 电视台 | diànshìtái | television station |
| 电子邮件 | diànzǐ yóujiàn | |
| 电视剧 | diànshìjù | TV series; TV drama |
| 电梯 | diàntī | elevator; escalator |
Questions about 闪电
What does 闪电 mean?
闪电 (shǎndiàn) means "lightning" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 闪电?
闪电 is made of 2 characters: 闪 (5 strokes), 电 (5 strokes). That is 10 strokes in total.
Is 闪电 an HSK word?
Yes. 闪电 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 闪电 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 闪电 is written 閃電.
What is the difference between 闪电 and 雷?
闪电 (shǎndiàn) is the flash of light you see. 雷 (léi) is the thunder you hear. Together they appear in 雷电 (léidiàn), thunder and lightning.
Can 闪电 be used as a verb?
It is mainly a noun, but in casual speech 闪电 can act like a verb, as in 天上在闪电 (tiānshang zài shǎndiàn), meaning lightning is flashing. It also works as a modifier meaning lightning fast, as in 闪电结婚 (shǎndiàn jiéhūn), to marry very quickly.