Have you ever just lost it and unloaded your negativity online? You’re not the only one.
None of us is perfect, and occasionally we just want to mock our opponent. Since we spend so much time online, it’s hard to keep perfect behavior.
So when you’re conversing in Chinese online it’s important to know the negative words as well as the positive ones.
炮轰 (pàohōng) is one negative word that describes those vicious online attacks that often happen to celebrities or politicians.
It seems like it’s everyday that some star, celebrity or politician is “炮轰 (pàohōng) bombarded” online because of some kind of negative news. And we often don’t know if this negative gossip is just that gossip. Or if there’s actual truth to the articles we read. No matter what, when you’re reading online in Chinese you want to know exactly what “炮轰 (pàohōng)” means.
炮 (pào): cannon;
轰 (hōng): bombard.
炮轰 (pàohōng) originally came from war, and it means to bombard; to bomb, verb.
Wǒmen de zhànshì pàohōng le dírén de zhènyíng.
我们 的 战士 炮轰 了 敌人 的 阵营。
Our soldiers bombarded the enemy’s position.
Nowadays, 炮轰 (pàohōng) can also be used as language attacks on an event or an individual, it means criticize; censure. You can find this word all across the internet. Chinese users especially use it when commenting about news online.
Zhè bù diànying yīnwèi pāi de tài chà ér zāo dào guānzhòng de pàohōng.
这 部 电影 因为 拍 的 太 差 而 遭 到 观众 的 炮轰。
This movie is so poor that the audience is bombarding it.
Nà gè gēshǒu yīnwèi zài wǎnhuì shàng jiǎchàng ér bèi guānzhòng pàohōng.
那 个 歌手 因为 在 晚会 上 假唱 而 被 观众 炮轰。
That star singer was bombarded for lip-synching at the evening party.
This word is reserved for people of influence, such as celebrities, or politicians. The best example of this is a common headline that you come across in Chinese news: Donald Trump bombarded Hillary Clinton.
It is only used when there is a rebuke from influential people, since this word is meant to be very strong in meaning. So next time you are trolling some celebrity online, watch out for this word!
1. Which of the following meanings does NOT correspond with the word 炮轰 (pàohōng):
A. Gossip.
B. Bomb.
C. Censure.