The word 炮轰 is formed by combining the character 炮, meaning "cannon", with 轰, meaning "to bombard" or "rumble". Here, 炮 acts as the instrument specifying the means of attack, while 轰 conveys the action of striking or exploding. This combination results in a verb that literally denotes "to cannon-bombard", used for both literal artillery strikes and figurative severe criticism.