暴跳如雷 fly into a rage
Explanation
形容非常愤怒，像打雷一样猛烈。
Describes extreme anger, as violent as a thunderbolt.
Origin Story
话说东汉末年，名士焦仲卿的妻子刘兰芝，嫁入焦家后，却被刁蛮婆婆百般刁难。焦仲卿无奈之下，只得与兰芝约定，彼此永不相负。兰芝回娘家后，其兄见兰芝貌美，便逼迫她改嫁。刘兰芝不堪忍受，悲愤交加，最终投河自尽。焦仲卿得知噩耗后，悲痛欲绝，也悲惨地自缢而亡。兰芝兄长在得知兰芝的死讯后，更是暴跳如雷，后悔莫及，但一切都太晚了。
During the late Han Dynasty, Liu Lanzhi, the wife of the famous scholar Jiao Zhongqing, was bullied by her shrewish mother-in-law after marrying into the Jiao family. Jiao Zhongqing, in desperation, had to agree with Lanzhi that they would never betray each other. After Lanzhi returned to her parents' home, her brother forced her to remarry because of her beauty. Unable to bear it, Liu Lanzhi committed suicide in grief and anger. After learning the sad news, Jiao Zhongqing was heartbroken and also tragically hanged himself. Lanzhi's brother, after receiving the news of his sister's death, was furious and regretted it, but it was too late.
Usage
用于描写愤怒的状态，多用于口语。
Used to describe a state of anger, mostly in spoken language.
Examples
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听到这个消息，他暴跳如雷，把桌子都拍烂了。
Tīng dào zhège xiāoxi, tā bào tiào rú léi, bǎ zhuōzi dōu pāi làn le.
Hearing the news, he flew into a rage and smashed the table.
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老板的批评让他暴跳如雷，怒气冲冲地离开了办公室。
Lǎobǎn de pīpíng ràng tā bào tiào rú léi, nù qì chōng chōng de líkāi le bàngōngshì
The boss's criticism made him fly into a rage; he stormed out of the office.