破 (pò) - to break & to split

破Tone 4

pò ｜ 10 strokes ｜ radical:

柠七

破 · pò

to break;

to split;

to damage;

to defeat;

to expose the truth of;

to solve (a case);

to break through;

to spend (money);

to destroy;

broken;

damaged;

worn-out

to breakto splitto damage

Usage highlights

breakthroughsolve a casespend moneybroken shoesdamaged goodsbankrupt

Synonyms

  • 碎— to break into pieces; fragment
  • 裂— to crack; to split
  • 坏— bad; broken; spoiled
  • 损— to damage; to harm

Antonyms

  • 立— to establish; to set up
  • 建— to build; to construct
  • 修— to repair; to fix
  • 完— complete; intact

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The glass broke into pieces (玻璃破了).
  • The police solved the case (破案).
  • He spent a lot of money (破费).
  • The army broke through the enemy's defense (突破防线).

Collocations

  • breakthrough(突破)
  • solve a case(破案)
  • spend money(破费)
  • broken shoes(破鞋)
  • damaged goods(破货)
  • bankrupt(破产)

Idioms

  • broken copper and rusted iron — worthless things(破铜烂铁)
  • broken walls and crumbling tiles — a scene of devastation(破壁残垣)
  • broken釜沉舟 — break the cauldrons and sink the boats (burn one's bridges)(破釜沉舟)
  • 家破人亡 — family broken and people dead(家破人亡)
  • 石破天惊 — earth-shattering and heaven-startling (astounding)(石破天惊)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • In Chinese culture, '破' often carries negative connotations of destruction and damage, but can also represent positive breakthroughs and solutions.
  • The idiom '破釜沉舟' from the Chu-Han Contention period symbolizes extreme determination to succeed.
  • In martial arts and strategy, '以破为立' (breaking to establish) represents the philosophy of destroying the old to create the new.

FAQ