📖 Meaning
Thunder and lightning striking simultaneously. It describes two or more forces or phenomena occurring at the same time and intensifying each other. Used both literally for severe weather and figuratively for multiple pressures or attacks converging at once.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom traces back to Ming dynasty vernacular fiction, specifically Ling Mengchu's 'Erke Paian Jingqi' (Slapping the Table in Amazement, Second Collection), Volume 38, where dark clouds suddenly gather and thunder and lightning crash together, causing a prisoner's shackles to fall off. The phrase vividly depicts a dramatic celestial scene. It was later widely adopted in classical novels and storytelling to heighten tension.
💡 Example Usage
暴风雨中雷电交加，整座城市陷入一片漆黑。
Amid the storm, thunder and lightning crashed together, plunging the entire city into darkness.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 雷电交加
- Pinyin: léi diàn jiāo jiā
- Literal Translation: thunder, lightning, together, strike
- Category: Condition
- Characters: 4