Usage of the character 炮

form of torture said to have been used by King Zhou of Shang 商紂王／商纣王 ( Shāng Zhòu Wáng) in which the victim was forced onto a bronze pillar heated by a fire

pàotóng

炮铜

[炮銅]

gunmetal (alloy of copper, tin and zinc)

yuēpào

约炮

[約炮]

(slang) to hook up for a one night stand
booty call

kāipào

开炮

[開砲]

to open fire

pàohuǒ

炮火

[炮火]

artillery barrage
gunfire

pàoyǒu

炮友

[炮友]

fuck buddy
friend with benefits

biānpào

鞭炮

[鞭炮]

firecrackers
string of small firecrackers
CL:枚 (méi)

huǒpào

火炮

[火炮]

cannon
gun
artillery

sānpào

三炮

[三炮]

(Northeastern dialect) simple-minded person

pàojiàn

炮舰

[砲艦]

gunboat
gunship

dàpào

大炮

[大砲]

big gun
cannon
artillery
one who talks big
CL:門／门 (mén),尊 (zūn)

niángpào

娘炮

[娘炮]

(slang) effeminate man
sissy
effeminate

huǒpào

火炮

[火砲]

cannon
gun
artillery

pàoxiǎng

炮响

[砲響]

sound of gunfire
fig. news of momentous events

páoliàn

炮炼

[炮煉]

to parch and refine medicinal herbs

hàopào

号炮

[號砲]

cannon used for signaling
signaling shot

pàohōng

炮轰

[砲轟]

variant of 炮轟／炮轰 (pàohōng)

pàojué

炮决

[炮決]

to execute sb by cannon

páipào

排炮

[排炮]

to fire a salvo
broadside
cannonade

pàotǐng

炮艇

[砲艇]

gunboat

pàoqiān

炮钎

[炮釺]

a drill
a hammer drill for boring through rock
same as 釺子／钎子

pàoshǒu

炮手

[砲手]

gunner
artillery crew

pàohōng

炮轰

[炮轟]

to bombard
to bomb
(fig.) to criticize
to roast

pàobīng

炮兵

[炮兵]

artillery soldier
gunner

pào'ěr

炮耳

[炮耳]

trunnion
protrusions on either side of a cannon facilitating mounting and vertical pivot

zuǐpào

嘴炮

[嘴炮]

(Internet slang) to mouth off
to shoot one's mouth off
sb who does that

nǔpào

弩炮

[弩砲]

catapult
ballista (siege catapult firing stone blocks)

pàojiàn

炮舰

[炮艦]

gunship

qiāngpào

枪炮

[槍砲]

firearm

lǐpào

礼炮

[禮炮]

gun salute (e.g. 21-gun salute)
salvo

shuǐpào

水炮

[水炮]

water cannon

dǎpào

打炮

[打炮]

to open fire with artillery
to set off firecrackers
to make one's stage debut
(slang) to have sex
to masturbate

pàotái

炮台

[砲臺]

fort
battery

pàozhàn

炮战

[炮戰]

artillery bombardment; artillery battle

huāpào

花炮

[花炮]

firecracker

zhòngpào

重炮

[重砲]

heavy artillery

pàozhang

炮仗

[炮仗]

firecracker

pàodàn

炮弹

[炮彈]

artillery shell
CL:枚 (méi)

pàojī

炮击

[炮擊]

to shell
to bombard
bombardment

pàojī

炮击

[砲擊]

to shell
to bombard
bombardment

páozhì

炮制

[炮製]

to concoct
to invent
to fabricate
to produce
to process
processing and curing (Chinese medicine)

pàohuī

炮灰

[炮灰]

cannon fodder

mǎhòupào

马后炮

[馬後炮]

lit. firing after the horse
fig. belated action
giving advice in hindsight

fàngdàpào

放大炮

[放大炮]

to talk big
to shoot one's mouth off

jiānóngpào

加农炮

[加農炮]

cannon (loanword)

fēnshǒupào

分手炮

[分手炮]

(slang) breakup sex

Lǐpào Hào

礼炮号

[禮炮號]

Salyut (salute), Russian spacecraft series

pàotóngsè

炮铜色

[炮銅色]

gunmetal gray

fàngkōngpào

放空炮

[放空炮]

(lit.) to fire blank shots
(fig.) to be all talk and no action
to shoot one's mouth off
to make empty promises

hǔdūnpào

虎蹲炮

[虎蹲砲]

a short-barreled mortar
an ancient catapult

mǎhòupào

马后炮

[馬後砲]

lit. firing after the horse
fig. belated action
giving advice in hindsight

dǎhéngpào

打横炮

[打橫炮]

to butt in
to interfere
to make things difficult

dǎyěpào

打野炮

[打野炮]

(slang) to have sex outdoors or in a public place

liúdànpào

榴弹炮

[榴彈炮]

howitzer

jīguānpào

机关炮

[機關炮]

machine cannon
machine-gun cannon

qūshèpào

曲射炮

[曲射砲]

curved-fire gun (mortar, howitzer etc)

pàotǐngjī

炮艇机

[炮艇機]

gunship (aircraft)

gāoshèpào

高射炮

[高射炮]

anti-aircraft gun

pàorjú

炮儿局

[炮兒局]

police station (Beijing slang)

kāiménpào

开门炮

[開門炮]

firecrackers set off at the stroke of midnight on New Year's Day (a Chinese tradition)

cíguǐpào

磁轨炮

[磁軌砲]

railgun

huǒjiànpào

火箭炮

[火箭炮]

rocket artillery

fàngbiānpào

放鞭炮

[放鞭炮]

to set off firecrackers

liánzhūpào

连珠炮

[連珠砲]

barrage of gunfire (often used as a metaphor for rapid speech)

xiǎogāngpào

小钢炮

[小鋼砲]

(coll.) piece of light artillery such as a mortar
(fig.) person who speaks boldly and frankly
hot hatch (car)
(also used figuratively with various meanings in other contexts)

dīyīnpào

低音炮

[低音炮]

subwoofer

dìyīpào

第一炮

[第一炮]

(fig.) opening shot

shuǐpàochē

水炮车

[水炮車]

water cannon vehicle, common name for specialized crowd management vehicle 人群管理特別用途車／人群管理特别用途车 (rénqúnguǎnlǐtèbiéyòngtúchē)

pǎijīpào

迫击炮

[迫擊炮]

mortar (weapon)
Taiwan pr. (pòjípào)

sānhuángpàochuí

三皇炮捶

[三皇炮捶]

Pao Chui (Chinese martial art)

yīpàodǎxiǎng

一炮打响

[一炮打響]

(idiom) to hit the jackpot with a single shot; to achieve success at one's first try

Fólǎngjīpào

佛朗机炮

[佛朗機炮]

Western (or Western-style) cannon of the Ming era

ránfàngbiānpào

燃放鞭炮

[燃放鞭炮]

to set off fire crackers

diūlúnchěpào

丢轮扯炮

[丟輪扯砲]

(idiom) flustered
confused

Dàgūpàotái

大沽炮台

[大沽砲臺]

Taku Forts, maritime defense works in Tianjin dating back to the Ming dynasty, playing a prominent role during the Opium Wars (1839-1860)

yīpào'érhóng

一炮而红

[一炮而紅]

to win instant success (idiom)
to become an instant hit

tángyīpàodàn

糖衣炮弹

[糖衣炮彈]

sugar-coated bullets, term used by Mao (originally in 1949) to refer to corrupting bourgeois influences

pàohuǒliántiān

炮火连天

[砲火連天]

cannon firing for days on end (idiom); enveloped in the flames of war

fàngmǎhòupào

放马后炮

[放馬後炮]

to fire after the horse has bolted (idiom); to act too late to be effective

niǎoqiānghuànpào

鸟枪换炮

[鳥槍換炮]

bird shotgun replaced by cannon (idiom); equipment improved enormously

chángqiāngduǎnpào

长枪短炮

[長槍短炮]

camera (jocular)

rúfǎpáozhì

如法炮制

[如法炮製]

lit. to follow the recipe (idiom)
fig. to follow a set pattern

zǐmǔpàodàn

子母炮弹

[子母炮彈]

artillery cluster bomb

kōngzhōngpàojiàn

空中炮舰

[空中砲艦]

gunship (aircraft)

dàpàodǎwénzi

大炮打蚊子

[大炮打蚊子]

cannon fire to hit a mosquito
to use a sledgehammer to crack a nut

wúhòuzuòlìpào

无后坐力炮

[無後坐力炮]

recoilless rifle

Dàgūkǒupàotái

大沽口炮台

[大沽口砲臺]

Taku Forts, maritime defense works in Tianjin dating back to the Ming dynasty, playing a prominent role during the Opium Wars (1839-1860)

Bā Er Sān Pàozhàn

八二三炮战

[八二三炮戰]

bombardment of Kinmen by PRC forces that started August 23rd 1958, also called the Second Taiwan Strait Crisis