阵 zhèn — disposition of troops; short period; wave; spate; burst; spell
一阵大雨过后，空气清新了许多。Yí zhèn dà yǔ guò hòu, kōng qì qīng xīn le xǔ duō.After a burst of rain, the air became much fresher.
Common words: 一阵 (yī zhèn)、阵地 (zhèn dì)、阵容 (zhèn róng)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "burst"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "burst", including 阵 (zhèn), 爆 (bào). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words, and examples.
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "burst" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 阵 (zhèn), 爆 (bào) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span zhèn, bào — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 阵 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 阵 zhèndisposition of troops; short period; wave; spate; burst; spellUseful words: 一阵, 阵地
- 爆 bàoto crack; to explode or burstUseful words: 爆炸, 爆发
Common words for these 2 "burst" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 阵 (zhèn) — so "burst" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
一阵yī zhèna burst; a fit; a peal; a spell (period of time)阵地zhèn dì(military) position; front阵容zhèn róngtroop arrangement; battle formation; lineup (of a sports team etc)爆炸bào zhàexplosion; to explode; to blow up; to detonate爆发bào fāto break out; to erupt; to explode; to burst out爆竹bào zhúfirecracker
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 2 ways to say "burst".
爆 bào — to crack; to explode or burst
过年时，远处不时传来鞭炮爆响的声音。Guò nián shí, yuǎn chù bù shí chuán lái biān pào bào xiǎng de shēng yīn.During New Year, the sound of firecrackers bursting comes from afar now and then.
Common words: 爆炸 (bào zhà)、爆发 (bào fā)、爆竹 (bào zhú)
All 2 characters
Open 阵、爆 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.