暴

Originally described the fierceness or harshness of the sun, later extending to violence, cruelty, or sudden intensity.

It conveys a range of meanings centered on unrestrained or overwhelming force — natural, emotional, or moral.

Compound ideograph composed of:

日 (해/날 일) — the sun, symbolizing brightness, exposure, and intensity.

麥 (보리 맥) — barley or grain, representing vegetation or the earth’s surface.

The combination depicts the sun beating down fiercely upon the grain, symbolizing heat, withering, and destructive force of sunlight.

Hence, 暴 originally meant “to scorch, to dry up, to expose to the sun,” and by extension, “harsh, fierce, violent.”

暴風 (폭풍) — violent wind; storm

暴雨 (폭우) — heavy rainstorm

暴熱 (폭열) — intense heat

暴露 (폭로) — exposure; revelation

暴力 (폭력) — violence; brute force

暴發 (폭발) — to erupt; explosion

暴君 (폭군) — tyrant; cruel ruler

暴食 (폭식) — overeating; gluttony

殘暴 (잔포) — brutal; cruel

暴虐 (포학) — tyranny; savage cruelty

The word also appears in idioms describing emotional or physical outbursts, such as 暴怒 (폭노) “burst of anger.”

In ancient texts, 暴 was closely tied to the destructive power of nature, especially the sun and storms.

The Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字) defines it as:

「暴，疾風也。」- “暴 means a violent wind.”

and also

「暴，曬也。」- “To expose (to the sun).”

Thus, 暴 encompassed two interrelated meanings — the scorching exposure of sunlight and the fierce violence of wind and force.

Over time, it became a moral metaphor for harshness and tyranny, used to describe rulers or actions that oppressed others.

In Confucian writings, 暴 opposes 仁 (benevolence):

「仁者愛人，暴者害人。」

“The benevolent love others; the violent harm them.”

In Buddhist and Daoist literature, it also referred to suddenness or momentary manifestation, as in 폭발적 깨달음 (“sudden enlightenment”).

暴 embodies the dual nature of intensity — the same sun that gives life can also destroy.

It symbolizes unchecked energy, which when directed well, produces illumination, but when unrestrained, causes devastation.

The sun (日) represents clarity and revelation, while 麦 (grain) symbolizes life and sustenance.

Together, they show the tension between nurturing light and scorching heat.

「暴者，陽之過也。」

“Violence is excess of yang.”

Thus, 暴 warns against imbalance — the point where brightness becomes burning, and energy turns to destruction.

暴 teaches about the fine boundary between power and violence.

Intensity without moderation can overwhelm what it seeks to nurture.

「暴風之後，萬物摧折；和風之中，草木滋生。」

“After a violent wind, all is broken; in a gentle breeze, all things grow.”

Therefore, 暴 stands as a character of force, exposure, and excess — reminding us that true strength lies not in fierceness, but in the measured radiance that gives life without consuming it.