Chinese symbol for “thunderclap”
霹雳
pī lì
Traditional: 霹靂
thunderclap; (slang) awesome; shocking; terrifying
The closest CC-CEDICT match for thunderclap is 霹雳 (pī lì), defined as: thunderclap; (slang) awesome; shocking; terrifying.
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Characters and stroke order
Traditional forms
Other Chinese words for “thunderclap”
Related words
Other words that share a character with 霹雳.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 晴天霹雳 (晴天霹靂) | qíng tiān pī lì | lit. thunderclap from a clear sky (idiom); fig. a bolt from the blue |
| 霹雳舞 (霹靂舞) | pī lì wǔ | to breakdance; breakdancing |
| 霹雷 | pī léi | thunderbolt |
| 列缺霹雳 (列缺霹靂) | liè quē pī lì | lightning and thunder |
| 霹雳啪啦 (霹靂啪啦) | pī lì pā lā | see 噼里啪啦 (pī li pā lā) |
| 青天霹雳 (青天霹靂) | qīng tiān pī lì | (lit.) thunderclap from a clear sky (idiom); (fig.) a bolt from the blue |
See also: Japanese symbol for “thunderclap”.
Data: CC-CEDICT (CC BY-SA 4.0); Unihan Database (Unicode License v3); Make Me a Hanzi (Arphic Public License (graphics.txt); LGPL-3.0-or-later (dictionary.txt)); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.