炸药

• Pinyin: zhà yào
• Hanzi breakdown: 炸 = 火 (fire) + 乍 (phonetic); 药 = 艹 (grass) + 约 (simplified, bind)

Meaning

Explosives; chemical substances that can be detonated to produce a rapid release of energy.

Refers to explosive materials used in mining, construction, demolition, or warfare. Strictly regulated and requires special permits. Sometimes used figuratively to describe volatile situations or people with explosive tempers.

Examples

1. 矿山开采需要使用大量的炸药来爆破岩石。 Mining operations require large amounts of explosives to blast through rock.
2. 炸药的储存和运输有严格的安全规定。 There are strict safety regulations for the storage and transportation of explosives.
3. 诺贝尔发明了安全性更高的炸药，后来用这笔财富设立了诺贝尔奖。 Nobel invented safer explosives and later used that wealth to establish the Nobel Prize.

Usage Guide

Context: mining, military, news

Tone: serious

Do Say

• 非法持有炸药是严重的刑事犯罪。(Illegal possession of explosives is a serious criminal offense.)
• 工程队用炸药开凿隧道。(The engineering team uses explosives to excavate tunnels.)

Don't Say

• 这道菜像炸药一样辣。(Awkward metaphor — use 火药 or just say 辣得爆炸)

Origin & History

Compound of 炸 (to explode) and 药 (medicine, chemical substance). 药 here refers to a chemical preparation rather than medicine.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal