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暴风骤雨 (bào fēng zhòu yǔ) — violent storm, hurricane, tempest; (figurative) a sudden and intense upheaval or movement (e.g., political revolution, social change)

Definition

A vivid chengyu-style phrase for a violent, sudden storm; figuratively, a fierce upheaval like a revolution. Pairs with 比喻 markers 如…般; 风暴 is the plain noun for 'storm/crisis.'

phrase
violent stormhurricanetempest(figurative) a sudden and intense upheaval or movement (e.g., political revolution, social change)

Examples

  • 暴风骤雨。
    Zhè chǎng bào fēng zhòu yǔ bǎ hěn duō shù dōu chuī dǎo le.
    This violent storm blew down many trees.
  • 暴风骤雨。
    Gé mìng rú bào fēng zhòu yǔ bān xí juǎn le zhěng gè guó jiā.
    The revolution swept across the entire country like a tempest.
  • 暴风骤雨，。
    Zài bào fēng zhòu yǔ miàn qián, rén men bì xū tuán jié yí zhì.
    In the face of a violent storm, people must unite as one.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

暴风violent wind
暴bàoviolent风fēngwind
偏正Modifier + head
骤雨sudden rain
骤zhòusudden雨yǔrain
偏正Modifier + head

暴 “violent” + 风 “wind” and 骤 “sudden” + 雨 “rain” describe a fierce storm.

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 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 风 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 驟; 骤 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
馬馬mǎhorse
Sound part声符shēngfú
聚
聚jù驟zhòu
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 驟 uses 馬 to show the idea of a horse and 聚 for its sound; the simplified 骤 is a later shorthand.

Open 骤 →

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

The shape 雨 is an old picture of a cloud with rain drops falling from it; the top line was added later.

Open 雨 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9

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