海啸
hǎixiào
The Chinese word for tsunami is 海啸 (hǎixiào).
海啸 refers to a large, destructive wave generally caused by a tremendous disturbance in the ocean. It is the term used in official contexts, such as scientific discussions and news reports.
Meaning: large, destructive wave generally caused by a tremendous disturbance in the ocean (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word is composed of 海 meaning 'sea' and 啸 meaning 'roar' or 'howl'.
How do you pronounce it?
hǎixiào
Did you know?
- In historical Chinese texts, before the modern adoption of 海啸, sudden tidal surges were often attributed to 'sea monsters' or 'water spirits' in folklore.
- Even though 'tsunami' is a Japanese loanword in English, Chinese speakers use the native term 海啸 which has its own distinct linguistic roots.
- If you see the character 啸 in a poem, it might refer to a flute melody rather than a disaster, because both are described as 'whistling'.
Examples in context
- 海啸的警报解除了。The tsunami alert was cancelled.This sentence is useful for seeing how to describe a cancelled tsunami alert using 海啸.Tatoeba #829687 by fucongcong, translation #828794 by Scott
- 海啸来了，密切注意啊。A tsunami is coming, so please be on the alert.This sentence shows how to use 海啸 when issuing a warning to be alert.Tatoeba #793985 by fucongcong, translation #792696 by CK
- 由于特大海啸的灾害，核能融炉遭受损害，造成了原子能发电站爆炸。Due to the catastrophe caused by the huge tsunami, damage was sustained by the nuclear reactor as well as explosions at the nuclear power plant.This sentence illustrates the use of 海啸 when discussing the catastrophic damage caused by a huge tsunami.Tatoeba #796142 by yutaka, translation #794822 by hrin
- 据报道，近日发生了一次规模巨大的海啸。According to reports, a massive tsunami occurred recently.
Example conversation
Yuting and Junjie are discussing a news report about a natural disaster.
- 雨婷 Yuting你看到关于海啸的新闻了吗？Nǐ kàndào guānyú hǎixiào de xīnwén le ma?Did you see the news about the tsunami?
- 俊杰 Junjie还没看，发生了什么事？Hái méi kàn, fāshēngle shénme shì?Not yet, what happened?
- 雨婷 Yuting这次海啸造成了严重的破坏。Zhècì hǎixiào zàochéngle yánzhòng de pòhuài.This tsunami has caused serious destruction.
- 俊杰 Junjie太可怕了，希望那里的人们平安。Tài kěpà le, xīwàng nàlǐ de rénmen píng'ān.That's terrible, I hope the people there are safe.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
