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炮轰 (pào hōng) — to bombard with artillery, to shell; to launch a concentrated verbal attack (in media, politics, etc.)

Definition

A vivid compound verb: literally 'cannon-bombardment.' In figurative use, it means launching a fierce, concentrated verbal attack — stronger and more aggressive than 批评 ('criticize').

verb
to bombard with artilleryto shellto launch a concentrated verbal attack (in media, politics, etc.)

Examples

  • 炮轰。
    Jūn duì pào hōng le dí rén de zhèn dì.
    The army bombarded the enemy's positions.
  • 炮轰。
    Tā zài shè jiāo méi tǐ shàng pào hōng le zhèng fǔ zhèng cè.
    He launched a verbal attack on government policies on social media.
  • 炮轰。
    Zhè wèi jì zhě jīng cháng xiě wén zhāng pào hōng fǔ bài fēn zǐ.
    This journalist often writes articles launching verbal assaults on corrupt officials.

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.

炮pàocannon
轰hōngblast

炮轰 combines 炮 (cannon) and 轰 (blast): to blast with cannons.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
火火huǒ
Sound part声符shēngfú
包
包bāo炮pào
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

炮 combines 火 and 包; 包 supplies the sound.

Open 炮 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 轟; 轰 is its simplified writing.

  • 車車jūcart
  • 車車jūcart
  • 車車jūcart

The traditional form 轟 puts three 車 (cart) together; 轰 is a simplified shorthand.

Open 轰 →
Appears in
Military & Defense

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