chāi
déchirer; démonter; tirer vers le bas
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我拆了这个盒子。
wǒ chāi le zhège hézi.
I dismantled this box.
他把房子拆了。
tā bǎ fángzi chāi le.
He demolished the house.
我们拆除了一些旧建筑。
wǒmen chāichú le yīxiē jiù jiànzhù.
We demolished some old buildings.
拆除 (chāichú)
demolish
拆卸 (chāixiè)
dismantle
建造 (jiàn zào)
build
组装 (zǔ zhuang)
assemble
The Chinese character 拆 (chāi) is composed of two parts: the radical 扌(shǒu), which indicates that the character is related to hand or action, and the phonetic component 勺 (sháo). The original meaning of 拆 is to break something apart with hands, which is reflected in its structure. The radical 扌represents the hand, and the phonetic component 勺 resembles a tool used for digging or scooping, suggesting the action of breaking something apart. Over time, the meaning of 拆 has expanded to include the idea of dismantling, disassembling, or demolishing something. It can also be used figuratively to refer to the act of breaking up a relationship or an organization.