霹雳 (pīlì): thunderclap

Measure Word

一声霹雳 shēng

一声霹雳把大家都吓了一跳。

Yī shēng pīlì bǎ dàjiā dōu xià le yī tiào.

A thunderclap startled everyone.

这个消息如同晴天霹雳。

Zhège xiāoxi rútóng qíngtiānpīlì.

This news was like a bolt from the blue.

usage

Often used in the idiom 晴天霹雳 (a bolt from the blue), meaning shocking and unexpected news.

霹 pī

雳 lì