TongTong
Sign in

爆发力 (bào fā lì) — explosive power; dynamic intensity (in athletics, music, dance, etc.)

Definition

Burst-style power delivered in a short, intense moment — common in sports and performance arts. The 爆发 is the verb 'to burst/erupt'; here it works as a modifier turning the burst into a measurable quality.

noun
explosive powerdynamic intensity (in athletics, music, dance, etc.)

Examples

  • 爆发力。
    Duǎn pǎo yùn dòng yuán xū yào hěn qiáng de bào fā lì.
    Sprinters need strong explosive power.
  • 爆发力。
    Zhè duàn wǔ dǎo duì bào fā lì de yāo qiú hěn gāo.
    This dance routine demands a lot of explosive power.
  • 爆发力。
    Gāng qín jiā zài yǎn zòu zhōng zhǎn xiàn le jīng rén de bào fā lì.
    The pianist displayed astonishing dynamic intensity in the performance.

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.

爆发burst out
爆bàoburst发fāemit
联合Coordinate
力lìpower

爆发 suggests bursting out, and 力 is the power behind it.

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
暴
暴bào爆bào
Same sound today

爆 combines 火 (fire) with 暴, which supplies the sound and also originally meant violence.

Open 爆 →

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 →

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

力 is drawn as either an arm bending out from the side of the body or a wooden plough.

Open 力 →
Appears in
Sports & Athletics

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.