洪水 (hóngshuǐ) — Flood, floodwater

洪水 (hóngshuǐ)

洪水 refers to an overflow of a large amount of water beyond its normal confines, especially onto dry land -- a natural disaster that can cause widespread damage to communities and ecosystems.

Meanings

1. [noun] flood; floodwater; inundation

Example Sentences

连日暴雨导致河流决堤，洪水淹没了整个村庄。 Lián rì bàoyǔ dǎozhì héliú juédī, hóngshuǐ yānmòle zhěnggè cūnzhuāng. Continuous heavy rain caused the river to burst its banks, and the flood submerged the entire village.

气候变化使洪水发生的频率和强度都在增加。 Qìhòu biànhuà shǐ hóngshuǐ fāshēng de pínlǜ hé qiángdù dōu zài zēngjiā. Climate change is increasing both the frequency and intensity of floods.

政府提前发布预警，帮助居民应对即将到来的洪水。 Zhèngfǔ tíqián fābù yùjǐng, bāngzhù jūmín yìngduì jí jiāng dàolái de hóngshuǐ. The government issued early warnings to help residents cope with the approaching flood.

洪水过后，许多家庭失去了住所，急需救援。 Hóngshuǐ guòhòu, xǔduō jiātíng shīqùle zhùsuǒ, jí xū jiùyuán. After the flood, many families lost their homes and urgently needed relief.

防洪工程的建设可以有效减少洪水带来的损失。 Fánghóng gōngchéng de jiànshè kěyǐ yǒuxiào jiǎnshǎo hóngshuǐ dàilái de sǔnshī. The construction of flood control projects can effectively reduce flood losses.

他们用沙袋堆起屏障，试图阻挡汹涌的洪水。 Tāmen yòng shābāo duī qǐ píngzhàng, shìtú zǔdǎng xiōngyǒng de hóngshuǐ. They piled up sandbags to form a barrier, trying to block the surging floodwaters.

Collocations

Usage Notes

洪水 is the general term for flood or floodwater. A related compound is 洪涝 (hónglào), which specifically refers to flooding caused by excessive rainfall. In news and disaster-reporting contexts, 洪涝灾害 (flood disaster) is a common phrase.

Note that 洪水 can be used metaphorically in Chinese, as in 信息的洪水 (a flood of information) or 洪水猛兽 (a fierce flood and wild beast -- used idiomatically to mean something extremely dangerous).

Memory Hook

洪 = flood/vast (water radical + 共 together) -- vast amounts of water coming together -- floodwater.