电
diàn
lightning
electricity; electric (bound form); to get (or give) an electric shock; phone call or telegram etc; to send via telephone or telegram etc
a picture of 电 → a lightning bolt with a forking tail
The character originally depicted a lightning bolt — a bright flash with a zigzagging downward strike. Electricity was later named after lightning when the concept arrived in modern Chinese, so the character carried its meaning forward naturally.
昨晚打雷的时候，天空中出现了好几道闪电。
zuó wǎn dǎ léi de shí hou, tiān kōng zhōng chū xiàn le hǎo jǐ dào shǎn diàn。
last night when it was thundering, several bolts of lightning appeared in the sky.
他不小心碰到了电线，被电了一下。
tā bù xiǎo xīn pèng dào le diàn xiàn, bèi diàn le yī xià。
he accidentally touched the wire and got an electric shock.
Words with 电
笔电
bǐ diàn
notebook (computer)
电火花
diàn huǒ huā
electric spark
电网
diàn wǎng
electricity grid; power grid
电量
diàn liàng
quantity of electric charge
电子学
diàn zǐ xué
electronics
电子器件
diàn zǐ qì jiàn
electric equipment
充电器
chōng diàn qì
battery charger
电话卡
diàn huà kǎ
telephone card
电解
diàn jiě
electrolysis
电动机
diàn dòng jī
electric motor
卫星电视
wèi xīng diàn shì
satellite TV
闭路电视
bì lù diàn shì
closed-circuit television