noun
thunderclap; bolt of lightning
Refers to a sudden, loud thunderclap. Commonly used in the set phrase 青天の霹靂 (a bolt from the blue) to describe a sudden, unexpected event.
突然、霹靂が轟いた。
Suddenly, a thunderclap roared.
その知らせは青天の霹靂だった。
The news was a bolt from the blue.
The kanji 霹 and 靂 both represent the sound of thunder and are used together for emphasis. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the compound has been used in classical Chinese and Japanese to describe a sudden thunderclap.