气泡

• Pinyin: qì pào
• Hanzi breakdown: 气 = 气 (gas/air); 泡 = 氵(water) + 包 (wrap/enclose) (bubble)

Meaning

Bubble; air bubble; gas bubble. A sphere of gas enclosed within liquid or a thin film.

Used in scientific, culinary, and everyday contexts. 气泡水 (sparkling water) is a common modern usage. In materials science, internal gas bubbles affect structural integrity. Can be used metaphorically — though 泡沫 is more common for economic or asset bubbles.

Examples

1. 碳酸饮料中密集的气泡赋予了饮品独特的爽口感与清新的刺激感。 The dense bubbles in a carbonated drink give it a uniquely crisp feel and a refreshing tingle.
2. 潜水员在水下呼吸时，会持续向水面释放出串串细小而均匀的气泡。 As a diver breathes underwater, a steady stream of small, even bubbles rises to the surface.
3. 工程师发现铸件内部存在大量气泡缺陷，导致产品结构强度明显下降。 Engineers found many bubble defects inside the casting, causing a clear drop in the product’s structural strength.

Usage Guide

Context: science, food, engineering

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 优质的香槟气泡细腻绵密，在杯中缓缓升腾，令人赏心悦目，回味悠长。(High-quality champagne has fine, delicate bubbles that rise slowly in the glass, a feast for the eyes.)
• 这批金属铸件内部存在气泡，不符合航空级别的安全标准，须报废处理。(These metal castings contain internal gas bubbles and do not meet aviation-grade safety standards — they must be scrapped.)

Don't Say

• 梦想是个大气泡 — while 泡沫 is used metaphorically for illusions or economic bubbles, 气泡 retains a predominantly physical connotation; use 泡影/泡沫 for metaphorical dreamlike illusions

Origin & History

气 (gas/air) + 泡 (bubble) — a bubble of gas or air

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal