暴风骤雨
bào fēng zhòu yǔ
a violent storm; (figurative) a fierce, sweeping upheaval
Character by character
暴bào
violent
violent
风fēng
wind
wind
骤zhòu
sudden
sudden
雨yǔ
rain
rain
Example
下午还是晴天，傍晚突然来了一场暴风骤雨，行人纷纷跑进商店躲雨。
It was sunny in the afternoon, then towards evening a violent storm broke and people on the street ran into shops for shelter.
Tone: neutral.
Usage and origin
骤 means sudden, as in 骤然 and 骤降 (a sudden drop). Used literally of storms, and figuratively of mass movements or a barrage of criticism: 暴风骤雨般的批评. 周立波’s novel of land reform (1948–49) takes it as its title.
Learn this in Lesson 112 · HSK 7–9: 台风来了 (Typhoon warning: a weather report)
A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. The first lessons of every level are free.
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