雷

Core sense: thunder.

1. Meteorological: The physical phenomenon of a storm.

2. Auditory/Metaphorical: Sudden, crashing, or overwhelming sound; used to describe intensity or shock.

3. Symbolic/Omens: In historical and annalistic texts, often functions as a celestial reprimand or an omen of state imbalance (e.g., //tianjie// 天劫).

Note on the compound 雷霆 (//léitíng//): Used as an intensifier to denote irresistible power, suddenness, or the terrifying wrath of a sovereign or deity.

Noun: Standard function.

Verb: Occasionally functions as a predicate meaning "to thunder" or "to roar," though this is less common than the use of 震 (//zhèn//).

雷 vs. 震: In cosmological, divinatory, or ritual contexts (such as the //I Ching//), 雷 typically serves as the descriptive term for the physical sound and phenomenon, whereas 震 is the technical, systemic term referring to the trigram/element of Thunder.

Variants: U+24D10, U+291D3. These are graphical variants with no shift in meaning.