HSK · Level 60
105 words
Chinese word
塌
Pronunciation
Pinyintā
Meaning
- verbcollapse
Example
楼房塌了。lóu fáng tā le
The building collapsed.
More examples
暴雨过后，路段一处塌陷，车辆无法通行。bào yǔ guò hòu lù duàn yí chù tā xiàn chē liàng wú fǎ tōng xíng
After the downpour, part of the road surface caved in, so vehicles could not pass.
Core concept
A solid surface loses support, sags or drops in one area, and does not necessarily come fully apart.
Common phrases
屋顶塌下来wū dǐng tā xià lái
roof caves in
天花板塌了tiān huā bǎn tā le
Ceiling collapses
路面塌陷lù miàn tā xiàn
road surface caves in
Similar words
倒塌dǎo tā: Fall down as an entire building or structure collapses.
坍塌tān tā: Collapse extensively, with a building or section of ground falling apart.
崩塌bēng tā: Break and fall suddenly as a landform or structure collapses.
垮kuǎ: Partly collapse or fall when supporting strength gives way.
Definition in Chinese
指局部地面或结构在承重不足或受损时向下陷落，强调整体仍可能保持部分稳定而非完全倒塌。zhǐ jú bù dì miàn huò jié gòu zài chéng zhòng bù zú huò shòu sǔn shí xiàng xià xiàn luò qiáng diào zhéng tǐ réng kě néng bǎo chí bù fèn wěn dìng ér fēi wán quán dǎo tā
Word origin
The character 塌 (tā, "collapse") contains the component 土 (tǔ, "earth"), connecting its written form with ground or built structures that give way downward.
Usage tips
- As a change-of-state verb, 塌 (tā, "collapse") often appears with 了 (le, "change of state") when a structure has just given way, marking its new condition rather than an ongoing process.
Other meanings
- fall downverb
Opposites
- 挺立tǐng lìstand tallverb
- 矗立chù lìstand uprightverb
Related words
- 坍塌tān tācollapseverb
- 塌陷tā xiàncave inverb
- 塌方tā fānglandslidenoun