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地雷

dìléi
noun #8,787

Measure Word

一颗地雷 kē

Meanings

  1. 1 landmine
  2. 2 (slang) hidden trap; unpleasant surprise

Characters

地
dì
ground; earth
雷
léi
thunder; mine (explosive)
Ground + thunder — an explosive buried in the earth that goes off like thunder.

Examples

战场上埋了很多地雷。
Zhànchǎng shàng mái le hěn duō dìléi.
Many landmines were buried on the battlefield.
排雷部队正在清除地雷。
Páiléi bùduì zhèngzài qīngchú dìléi.
The mine-clearing unit is removing landmines.
这个话题是个地雷，别提。
Zhège huàtí shì gè dìléi, bié tí.
That topic is a landmine — don't bring it up.

Tips

usage
In internet slang, 踩地雷 (cǎi dìléi, to step on a mine) means accidentally hitting a sensitive topic or making a bad choice (e.g., picking a terrible restaurant). 踩雷 is the shortened form.
memory
Thunder (雷) buried in the ground (地) — step on it and BOOM, just like the real thing.

In Pop Culture

地雷战 Dìléizhàn
Erta del Mine / Landmine Warfare
Classic 1962 Chinese war film about villagers using landmines against Japanese invaders

Stroke Order

地 dì
雷 léi