炸

• Pinyin: zhà
• Hanzi breakdown: 炸 = 火 (fire) + 乍 (phonetic, sudden)

Meaning

To explode or detonate; also means to deep-fry food in hot oil.

Has two distinct meanings depending on context. In military or news contexts, refers to explosions or bombing. In culinary contexts, means to deep-fry until crispy. Colloquially, also used to describe sudden emotional outbursts or things going viral online.

Examples

1. 厨师正在炸春卷，厨房里飘着诱人的香味。 The chef is deep-frying spring rolls, and the kitchen is filled with an enticing aroma.
2. 建筑工人用炸药炸开了挡路的巨石。 The construction workers used explosives to blast through the boulder blocking the road.
3. 这条新闻一出来就炸了，评论区瞬间被刷屏。 As soon as this news came out, it exploded online — the comment section was instantly flooded.

Usage Guide

Context: cooking, military, colloquial

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 把鸡翅炸到金黄色就可以出锅了。(Fry the chicken wings until golden and then take them out.)
• 那座桥被敌军炸毁了。(That bridge was blown up by enemy forces.)

Don't Say

• 我炸了一杯果汁。(Wrong verb — use 榨 for juicing)

Origin & History

Pictophonetic character combining 火 (fire radical) and 乍 (phonetic component). Originally referred to things bursting or splitting due to fire or heat.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal