暴雨

• Pinyin: bào yǔ
• Hanzi breakdown: 暴 = violent/torrential; 雨 = rain

Meaning

Torrential rain; heavy downpour; rainstorm. Extremely heavy rainfall over a short period.

Meteorologically defined as rainfall exceeding 50mm in 24 hours in China. Common in weather forecasts and news about flooding. Less dramatic than 暴风雨 as it focuses specifically on rain without necessarily including strong winds.

Examples

1. 由于暴雨，多条高速公路临时关闭。 Due to the torrential rain, multiple highways were temporarily closed.
2. 气象台发布了暴雨红色预警，请市民注意安全。 The meteorological station has issued a red alert for heavy rain — please pay attention to safety.
3. 暴雨导致城市多处出现积水，交通严重受阻。 The heavy rain caused flooding in many parts of the city, severely disrupting traffic.

Usage Guide

Context: weather, news

Tone: urgent

Do Say

• 暴雨预警已经发布，大家要做好防范。(A heavy rain warning has been issued — everyone should be prepared.)
• 昨晚的暴雨下了整整一夜。(Last night's torrential rain lasted the entire night.)

Don't Say

• 不要把普通的大雨称为'暴雨' (Don't call ordinary heavy rain 暴雨 — it specifically refers to very intense rainfall that may cause flooding)

Origin & History

Compound of 暴 (violent, torrential) + 雨 (rain), meaning violently heavy rain.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal