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炮烙

Mandarin · pinyin páo luò

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

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Characters in this entry

炮: pào · large gun, cannon; artillery
烙: lào · brand, burn; branding iron

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Mandarin tones

2–4 · pao2 luo4

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

paau3 lok3

Cantonese word readings for 炮烙. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

noun

paoluo, originally bronze pillars on fire for torture (said to be invented by King Zhou of Shang to entertain his consort Daji), later referring to similar kinds of torture

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

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