爆炸

• Pinyin: bào zhà
• Hanzi breakdown: 爆 = to burst; 炸 = 火 (fire) + 乍, to explode

Meaning

To explode; explosion. A violent release of energy causing destruction.

Refers to actual explosions from bombs, gas leaks, or chemical reactions, as well as figurative uses like information explosion (信息爆炸) or population explosion (人口爆炸). Also used colloquially for being overwhelmed.

Examples

1. 工厂发生爆炸事故，幸好没有人员伤亡。 An explosion occurred at the factory, but fortunately there were no casualties.
2. 信息爆炸时代，我们需要学会筛选有价值的内容。 In the age of information explosion, we need to learn to filter valuable content.
3. 最近工作量太大，我感觉脑子都要爆炸了。 The workload has been too heavy recently — I feel like my brain is about to explode.

Usage Guide

Context: news, science, colloquial

Tone: dramatic

Do Say

• 炸弹爆炸造成了严重破坏。(The bomb explosion caused serious damage.)
• 宇宙起源于一次大爆炸。(The universe originated from a big bang.)

Don't Say

• 不要把'爆炸'和'爆发'完全混用 (Don't use 爆炸 and 爆发 interchangeably — 爆炸 implies physical destruction, while 爆发 is often used for outbreaks or eruptions)

Origin & History

Compound of 爆 (to burst) + 炸 (to explode/fry), both characters relating to explosive force.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal