膨胀

• Pinyin: péng zhàng
• Hanzi breakdown: 膨 = 月 + 彭 (flesh + full resounding — body swelling outward); 胀 = 月 + 长 (flesh + grow — body growing in size)

Meaning

To expand; to swell; to inflate. Describes physical expansion caused by heat or pressure, or the unchecked metaphorical growth of ambitions, costs, or populations.

Used both literally (thermal expansion, swelling) and figuratively (欲望膨胀 — desires ballooning, 通货膨胀 — monetary inflation, 人口膨胀 — population surge). The figurative sense often implies undesirable or uncontrolled growth.

Examples

1. 金属受热会发生膨胀，因此桥梁设计中必须预留伸缩缝以应对温度变化。 Metal expands when heated, so bridge designs must include expansion joints to handle temperature changes.
2. 随着企业规模的迅速膨胀，内部管理的复杂性也随之大幅上升。 As the company’s scale expanded rapidly, the complexity of internal management also rose sharply.
3. 过度的成功有时会令人的野心急剧膨胀，使其失去对现实的清醒判断。 Excessive success can sometimes make a person’s ambitions inflate rapidly, causing them to lose a clear sense of reality.

Usage Guide

Context: physics, economics, psychology, urban development

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 通货膨胀率持续攀升，导致民众的实际购买力大幅缩水，生活成本压力与日俱增。(The continuous rise in the inflation rate has led to a significant reduction in the real purchasing power of the public, with the pressure of living costs increasing day by day.)
• 公司规模的迅速膨胀带来了组织管理上的严峻挑战，需要建立更为完善的内控体系。(The rapid expansion of the company's scale has brought serious challenges to organisational management, requiring the establishment of a more comprehensive internal control system.)

Don't Say

• 他的肚子膨胀了 — in casual speech use 鼓起来 or 胀大 for everyday bloating; 膨胀 sounds overly technical for minor physical swelling

Origin & History

膨 (swell) + 胀 (expand) — two near-synonyms combined to emphasise expansion in volume or scale

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal