Lightning and Thunder. Pls explain.

I'll post a snippet from a novel, it's self explanatory that way and i won't have to explain my confusion.

This pearl contained an Origin Skill called the “Thunder Drawing Technique”. This Origin Skill could not create thunder, but it could attract thunder. Thus, someone would first need to be around thunder and lightning, before they could use the Thunder Drawing Technique to attack. However, because the technique only conducted the thunder, the strength of that thunder could surpass the limits of one’s cultivation base and Origin Power strength. It was particularly powerful on days with thunderstorms, but otherwise it was not very good.

I have talked about this on this forum and from what i can remember, translating them to english, thunder and lightning are the same?

But clearly above, you see the novel snippet clearly use both terms implying there's a difference or is this also one of those lost in translation thing?

EDIT: Okay, i need to mention this to specify what my question is about.

I'm basically asking an explanation on chinese language about thunder/lightning because it's used as if both are one and the same, an example i posted a snippet up above by a CN novel translated into english - that's why the english also treats both as the same, they simply translate it from chinese to english without changing the english translations to fit known scientific knowledge, i also mentioned how i asked some translator about this and why they don't change/tweak the translations abit and ethically it's wrong since theyre 'translating' and not 'writing' their own novel.

UPDATE: i'm burned out from all the replying i had to do in a short span of time, at this point i can tell this is going nowhere thus i'm no longer as curious as i once was therefore just lock this thread.

 

Thunder is the sound and lightning is the actual light part.

 

lightning, is the burst of light cause by movement of electron through a gas creating plasma
thunder, is the sound of the expansion of the plasma created by the movemnt of electron
the movemnt of electron through the gas is categorized more properly as an electric spark

 

Well, they are, in fact, not the same in English though. Thunder is specifically the sound produced by lightning as it moves and breaks the sound barrier, repeatedly.

 

Thunder is sonic boom, lightning is plasma. Thunder is more popular becuz of Final fantasy and pokemon. People confuse thunder for lightning often. There's no such thing as thunderbolt/thundershock, its lightning bolt and electric shock.

 

dudes, i went through grade school. I had science class all through out and there's google.

ofcourse i know the difference between the two what i am asking is in chinese, they're literally the same, just read the snippet i posted.

It literally said drawing thunder, treating thunder the same as lightning and i mentioned how i asked about this to translators and they said that basically, they're the same and thats why they couldnt change the english translation to fit my knowledge of lightning and thunder.

 

Simple st difference... Thunder can't kill you... Lightning however can...

 

to my knowledge, thunder isnt the sound of lightning breaking the sound barrier.

Lightning is literally just a bigger version of an electric spark, electric sparks make sounds too.

Copy pasting google answers is probably wiser but i want to know if my knowledge is correct or not based on whether people will correct me on this.

EDIT: i just googled, it's basically just air vibrations by result of lightning, though i don't know the difference between air vibration and it breaking the sound barrier. It even compared it to a whip cracking but i know whip cracks because it breaks the sound barrier.

 

I think lightning is the thin yellow guy with red armor and thunder is the big blue guy with black armor. At least they were in Teen Titans.

 

To be more specific, the pressure wave released by the rapid expansion and contraction of super-heated air breaks the sound barrier, whose noise is part of the sound of thunder.

 

Right. I guess i still have traumas from anything science and math where you have to be very specific with your answer and have to explain it otherwise even if it is generally correct, if it isn't 100% correct then it is wrong..

It's different from say, history, where only the result/answer matters. In science and math, the process probably matters more than the result because the same result/answer can come from different methods/processes thus if the method/process is wrong then the answer is wrong.

P.S. love the name. CD was my first novel.

 

You're just giving others the opportunity to feel smug, OP.
And then there are those that are here for the lols.

Not me.

 

Basically its bullshit like any other Chinese power techniques, you cant draw sound, although you can draw light, you have to use tools though.

 

I think Canaria answers the right thing.
Its the confusion between whats thunder and whats lightning.

People tend to be scared of thunder rather than lightning since thunder makes more impact by the loud sounds it has while lightning passes by quickly and unnoticed unless you are looking up at the sky at the exact moment.

Reading your snippet, its most likely should be lightning rather than thunder.

 

That's why i edited my original post. I guess people nowadays don't fully read the post and just assume what the post is about after having a quick glance at the question.

I thought i was being very clear, i even copied a snippet from a novel. I actually had to skim through novels just to find this particular phenomena of Chinese literature where they use lightning and thunder as one and the same, some even go so far as to just use thunder to describe lightning.

I asked a translator way back and from what i remember, his answer was because in chinese language, both are one and the same therefore they cant possibly change the novel in their translations just because, and it would be ethically wrong to do so as a translator.

I just remembered it and i wanted to know specific details like the chinese characters for it and explanations from those who are well versed in the chinese language.

 

OP , u do realize that languages r very old and there r very little changes made to them , right. To answer ur ques. it's simple really , when languages were made people didn't know the difference between thunder and lightning . Just look at Thor , his is the God of Thunder but he uses lightning , why , because when the concept was made people didn't know the difference. This still carries on even now , just because we now have a scientific difference mapped out doesn't mean the languages changed to accommodate them

 

TL was just mixed up
Switch lighning with thunder and boom all is well again.

 

I'm asking about the chinese language on why they use the same character? for both lightning and thunder. That's why the snipper(novel english translation) is like that because it is like that in their raw chinese versions.

 

I mentioned in my post that i asked a TL about this and why not just change them in their english translations. Else i wouldn't be running into the same one again reading a different novel.

I forgot the novel i read before this, but currently reading divine throne of primordial blood. It's the same thing, that's why i am curios about the specific details to those who are well versed in the chinese language.