How to Write 雳 (lì) — Meaning “thunderclap”

Imagine a sudden thunderclap during a rainstorm: the top is 雨 (rain) and the bottom looks like a bolt of lightning striking down. You can think: 'Rain (雨) plus a sharp strike (厉) equals a thunderclap.' This connects the visual parts to the meaning.

Stretch the top part 雨 wide to cover the bottom component 厉, as the rain radical acts as a roof. The bottom part 厉 has a horizontal stroke after the 厂, and do not confuse it with 万 (ten thousand). The total stroke count is 12, so count carefully.

雳 (thunderclap) always appears in compounds like 霹雳, while 雩 (yú) is an ancient term for a rain sacrifice and is very rare today. 雪 (xuě) means snow. Visually, 雳 has 厉 below, 雩 has 亏, and 雪 has 彐, so look at the bottom part to distinguish them.

雳 is rarely used alone; it appears mostly in the word 霹雳 (thunderbolt) and the idiom 晴天霹雳 (a bolt from the blue, meaning a sudden shock). The term 霹雳舞 (breakdancing) comes from the dynamic, explosive moves mimicking a thunderbolt. These uses are common in news, stories, and pop culture.

Common words containing 雳 include: 霹雳 (pī lì) — Thunderbolt; 晴天霹雳 (qíng tiān pī lì) — A bolt from the blue / A sudden shock; 霹雳舞 (pī lì wǔ) — Breakdancing.