Chinese word

倒塌

Pronunciation

Pinyindǎo tā

Meaning

  • verbcollapse

Example

昨天那栋老楼倒塌了。zuó tiān nà dòng lǎo lóu dǎo tā le

That old building collapsed yesterday.

Illustration for 倒塌 (collapse)

More examples

暴雨后部分桥梁倒塌，交通受阻。bào yǔ hòu bù fèn qiáo liáng dǎo tā jiāo tōng shòu zǔ

After the heavy rain, some bridges collapsed, disrupting traffic.

Core concept

A whole structure gives way, with its upright form sinking and falling as one mass.

Common phrases

  • 建筑倒塌jiàn zhù dǎo tā

    buildings collapse

  • 桥梁倒塌qiáo liáng dǎo tā

    bridges collapse

  • 隧道倒塌suì dào dǎo tā

    tunnels collapse

Similar words

坍塌tān tā: Ground or part of a building sinks or crumbles and falls down.
崩塌bēng tā: A slope or building crumbles and falls in a mass.
垮塌kuǎ tā: A roof beam, wall, or other support breaks and suddenly falls down.
崩溃bēng kuì: An organization, system, or mental state suddenly breaks down and stops working.

Definition in Chinese

指建筑物、构筑物或大面积结构在失去支撑后整体塌落或倒下。zhǐ jiàn zhù wù gòu zhù wù huò dà miàn jī jié gòu zài shī qù zhī chēng hòu zhéng tǐ tā luò huò dǎo xià

Word origin

倒 (dǎo, "fall") + 塌 (tā, "sink and collapse") joins falling with caving in, making the word easy to connect with a structure that no longer stands.

Usage tips

  • The failed structure normally serves as the subject, while an earthquake, flood, or weak foundation can be given as the cause, a useful pattern in brief news reports.

Other meanings

  • crumbleverb
  • toppleverb

Opposites

Word lists with this word