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爆发 (bào fā) — (of events, emotions, sounds, etc.) to break out; to erupt; to explode; to burst out

Definition

Used for events, emotions, or conflicts that suddenly break out (eruptions, wars, laughter, anger). Unlike 爆炸 (physical explosion of an object), 爆发 often describes intangible or large-scale sudden outbreaks.

verb
(of events, emotions, sounds, etc.) to break outto eruptto explodeto burst out

Examples

  • 爆发。
    Nà zuò huǒ shān yǐ jīng liǎng bǎi nián méi yǒu bào fā le.
    That volcano hasn't erupted in two hundred years.
  • ，爆发。
    Tīng dào zhè ge xiāo xi, tā tū rán bào fā chū yí zhèn dà xiào.
    Upon hearing this news, he suddenly burst out laughing.
  • 爆发，。
    Jīng jì wēi jī bào fā hòu, hěn duō rén shī qù le gōng zuò.
    After the economic crisis broke out, many people lost their jobs.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

爆bàoexplode
发fāburst out

爆 (explode) and 发 (burst out) combine to mean a sudden breaking out.

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 →
Appears in
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