break

HSK Level 3

Example Sentences

这个花瓶破了。

Zhège huāpíng pò le.

This vase is broken.

他把窗户打破了。

Tā bǎ chuānghu pò dàile.

He broke the window.

我打破了一个杯子。

Wǒ dǎpò le yīgè bēizi.

I broke a cup.

Synonyms

损坏 (sǔn huài)

damage

破坏 (pò huài)

destroy

Antonyms

(lì)

establish

(chéng)

accomplish

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Etymology & Components

The Chinese character 破 (pò) is composed of two parts: the radical 戈 (gē), which represents a weapon, and the phonetic component 伯 (bó). The radical 戈 indicates that 破 is related to the concept of breaking or destroying, while the phonetic component 伯 provides a clue to its pronunciation.The original meaning of 破 was "to break" or "to destroy". In ancient times, weapons were often used to break or destroy things, so the radical 戈 was chosen to represent this concept. The phonetic component 伯 was added to indicate the pronunciation of the character.Over time, the meaning of 破 has expanded to include other related concepts, such as "to defeat", "to ruin", "to bankrupt", and "to expose". It can also be used as a noun to mean "a hole" or "a gap".The character 破 is commonly used in Chinese writing and has a wide range of applications. It can be used in both formal and informal contexts, and it is also used in many idioms and proverbs.Here are some examples of how 破 is used in Chinese:- 打破 (dǎpò): to break- 摧毁 (cuīhuǐ): to destroy- 击败 (jībài): to defeat- 破产 (pòchǎn): to go bankrupt- 漏洞 (lòudòng): a hole- 差距 (chājù): a gap