暴发 (bào fā) — (of disease, flood, etc.) to break out suddenly; to erupt; (of a person) to suddenly become rich or important (often pejorative)

Definition

Means a sudden, often violent outbreak (disease, flood, revolt). When used about a person (e.g. 暴发户), it is pejorative — implies they got rich quickly without real status, unlike more neutral terms like 发财.

verb
(of disease, flood, etc.) to break out suddenlyto erupt(of a person) to suddenly become rich or important (often pejorative)
Easily confused

Examples

  • 暴发。
    Qù nián zhè ge dì qū bào fā le yán zhòng de hóng shuǐ.
    Severe floods broke out in this region last year.
  • 暴发，。
    Yì qíng bào fā hòu, zhèng fǔ lì jí cǎi qǔ le cuò shī.
    After the epidemic broke out, the government immediately took measures.
  • ，。
    Tā zuò shēng yi zhuàn le hěn duō qián, chéng le bào fā hù.
    He made a lot of money in business and became an upstart (someone who suddenly got rich).

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

暴bàosudden and violent
发fābreak out

暴 gives sudden violence, and 发 gives breaking out.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

The earliest form paired 虎 and 戈, a tiger and a weapon. The later 暴 came from a picture of hands drying something in the sun.

Open 暴 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 發; 发 is its simplified writing.

The simplified 发 stands for more than one traditional character. In most words (爆发, 出发) it is 發; in others (理发, 头发) it is 髮.

The form 發, which 发 stands for in many words, was originally drawn as a bow firing an arrow.

Open 发 →

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