jīng léidictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
sudden clap of thunder / fig. surprising turn of events
Sources & editorial notes

Reference definitions: CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source release 2026-10-27T01:55:52Z. Imported 2026-10-27. Definition wording and meaning order are retained. Recognized pronunciation references are displayed with tone marks; the original source record is available below.

Source record: cd-b5464e14678a3a38. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

驚雷 惊雷 [jing1 lei2] /sudden clap of thunder/fig. surprising turn of events/

Reference definitions and teaching material have separate provenance.

Reference information

The definitions above are from CC-CEDICT. Examples and usage notes are available on selected entries.

Character information

View the individual characters. Their meanings do not necessarily explain the meaning of the whole word.

Other forms in these source records: 驚雷

  • 惊
    jīng

    to startle / to be frightened / to be scared / alarm

  • 雷
    léi

    thunder / (bound form) (military) mine, as in 地雷[dì léi] land mine / (coll.) to shock / to stun / to astound / (Tw) (coll.) spoiler / (Tw) (coll.) to reveal plot details to (sb)

    Léi

    surname Lei

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.