How to Write 暴 (bào) — Meaning “sudden; violent; cruel”

Picture a sudden rainstorm (暴) where the sun (日) and clouds (共) together pour water (indicated by the bottom part 水). Think: "Sun and clouds together bring a violent downpour — 暴 rain!" This links the components to its meaning of sudden violence.

Write 暴 with 15 strokes: start with 日 (top), then 共 (middle — horizontal, vertical, horizontal, and two dots), and finish with 水 (bottom — left stroke, right stroke, and a small hook). A common mistake is to make the bottom 水 too wide or forget the final hook; keep it compact and centered under 共.

暴 means "violent" or "sudden", while 㬎 (xiǎn, rare) refers to "sunlight" or "to appear" and is not used in modern Chinese. 暄 (xuān) means "warm" or "soft" (as in sunlight). Visually, 暴 has 水 at the bottom, 㬎 often has 日 on top with a different lower part, and 暄 has 日 on the left and 亘 on the right.

暴 appears in common words like 暴力 (violence), 暴雨 (torrential rain), and 暴露 (to expose). It often describes extreme weather, sudden outbursts, or harsh actions. In Chinese culture, 暴 can carry a negative tone, as in 暴君 (tyrant) or 暴饮暴食 (binge eating), warning against excess or cruelty.

Common words containing 暴 include: 暴力 (bào lì) — violence; force; 暴雨 (bào yǔ) — rainstorm; torrential rain; 暴露 (bào lù) — to expose; to reveal.