海啸

• Pinyin: hǎi xiào
• Hanzi breakdown: 海 = 氵+ 每; 啸 = 口 (mouth) + 肃 (solemn) — the roaring of the sea

Meaning

Tsunami; a series of enormous ocean waves triggered by an underwater earthquake, volcanic eruption, or landslide.

Used in disaster reporting, geology, and emergency management. 海啸 is the standard modern term. Metaphorically applied to massive waves of change: 信息海啸 (information tsunami), 经济海啸 (economic tsunami).

Examples

1. 这场里氏九点一级大地震在印度洋引发了毁灭性的海啸，造成数十万人罹难。 A magnitude 9.1 earthquake triggered a devastating tsunami in the Indian Ocean, killing hundreds of thousands of people.
2. 沿海城市纷纷建立海啸预警系统，以便在灾害来临前争取宝贵的疏散时间。 Coastal cities have been setting up tsunami early-warning systems to buy precious time for evacuation before a disaster strikes.
3. 专家警告，随着气候变化加剧，未来发生强烈海底地震并引发海啸的风险将有所上升。 Experts warn that as climate change intensifies, the risk of powerful undersea earthquakes and resulting tsunamis may rise in the future.

Usage Guide

Context: disaster, geology, news, metaphor

Tone: serious

Do Say

• 地震发生后，当局立即向沿岸居民发出海啸警报，要求所有人迅速撤离至高地。(After the earthquake struck, authorities immediately issued a tsunami warning to coastal residents, ordering everyone to evacuate to higher ground immediately.)
• 这场信息海啸使许多用户陷入了严重的内容过载，难以甄别真假信息。(This information tsunami left many users in a state of severe content overload, making it difficult to distinguish between true and false information.)

Don't Say

• 把海啸用于普通大浪 — 海啸 refers specifically to seismically generated waves; for ordinary large waves use 巨浪 or 大浪

Origin & History

海 (sea) + 啸 (roar, howl) — the roaring of the sea

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal