洪水

• Pinyin: hóng shuǐ
• Hanzi breakdown: 洪 = 氵 (water) + 共 (together), meaning vast flood; 水 = pictograph of flowing water

Meaning

Flood; floodwaters. An overflow of water that submerges normally dry land.

Used for natural disasters and metaphorically for overwhelming forces. Common collocations: 洪水泛滥 (flood overflows), 洪水猛兽 (flood and fierce beasts — metaphor for great dangers), 抗洪 (flood control). China has a long history of flood management.

Examples

1. 连续暴雨导致河水暴涨，洪水冲毁了好几座桥梁。 Continuous heavy rain caused the river to surge, and the flood destroyed several bridges.
2. 古代治理洪水的故事在中国文化中占有重要地位，比如大禹治水。 Stories of managing floods in ancient times hold an important place in Chinese culture, such as the Great Yu controlling the waters.
3. 政府紧急调派救援队伍，帮助洪水中受困的群众转移。 The government urgently dispatched rescue teams to help evacuate people trapped in the flood.

Usage Guide

Context: disaster, weather, history

Tone: serious

Do Say

• 洪水来了，赶快撤离！(The flood is coming, evacuate immediately!)
• 那年的洪水造成了很大损失。(That year's flood caused great losses.)

Don't Say

• 把小水灾叫洪水 (Don't call minor flooding 洪水 — it implies a major, destructive flood)

Origin & History

Compound of 洪 (vast, flood) + 水 (water). 洪 originally depicted a great expanse of water.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal