暴風雪 / 暴风雪
bàofēngxuě
The English word "blizzard" is translated into Chinese as 暴風雪 / 暴风雪 (bàofēngxuě). If unsure, use 暴風雪 / 暴风雪. Wiktionary also lists 大風雪 / 大风雪 (dàfēngxuě) and 雪災 / 雪灾 (xuězāi).
Meaning: severe snowstorm (noun)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 暴風雪 / 暴风雪 | bàofēngxuě |
| 大風雪 / 大风雪 | dàfēngxuě |
| 雪災 / 雪灾 | xuězāi |
The term refers to a severe snowstorm.
What does it mean word for word?
The word 暴風雪 / 暴风雪 is composed of 暴 (violent or sudden), 風 (wind) and 雪 (snow).
Which one should you use?
大風雪 / 大风雪 is a more colloquial or descriptive way to describe a heavy snowstorm compared to the more formal 暴風雪 / 暴风雪. While 暴風雪 / 暴风雪 refers to the weather event itself, 雪災 / 雪灾 refers to the resulting catastrophe or damage caused by heavy snow.
How do you pronounce it?
bàofēngxuě
Did you know?
- The character 暴 in 暴風雪 is also used in the word for 'violence' and 'tyranny', linking a blizzard to a forceful or oppressive power.
- In classical Chinese poetry, the elements of a 暴風雪 are often used to symbolize the hardships of a scholar's life or political exile.
- While 暴風雪 describes the event, Chinese speakers may use 大雪 (big snow) for a blizzard that lacks high winds, as the 'wind' 風 is a critical part of the definition.
Examples in context
- 昨天的风雪暴导致了交通的大面积瘫痪。Yesterday's blizzard caused widespread transportation disruptions.
- 今天下暴风雪了，外面一片白茫茫的。It's snowing heavily today, everything outside is covered in white.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “blizzard” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
