HSK · Level 42
120 words
Chinese word
打破
Pronunciation
Pinyindǎ pò
Meaning
- verbbreak
Example
孩子不小心打破了一个杯子。hái zi bù xiǎo xīn dǎ pò le yí gè bēi zi
The child accidentally broke a cup.
More examples
他在比赛中打破了学校的记录。tā zài bǐ sài zhōng dǎ pò le xué xiào de jì lù
He broke the school record in the competition.
Core concept
A fixed boundary or object gives way under force, allowing movement beyond what was previously intact or blocked.
Common phrases
打破记录dǎ pò jì lù
break a record
打破沉默dǎ pò chén mò
break the silence
打破常规dǎ pò cháng guī
break with convention
Similar words
突破tū pò: Overcome an obstacle or limit and move on to the next stage.
超过chāo guò: Exceed another person or thing in amount or degree.
打碎dǎ suì: Hit or crash into something and break it into small pieces.
Definition in Chinese
使原有的限制、规则、纪录或僵局被突破，强调突破性改变；在具体场景也可指实际的破坏行为。shǐ yuán yǒu de xiàn zhì guī zé jì lù huò jiāng jú bèi tū pò qiáng diào tū pò xìng gǎi biàn zài jù tǐ cháng jǐng yě kě zhǐ shí jì de pò huài xíng wéi
Word origin
打 (dǎ, "hit") suggests force and 破 (pò, "break") suggests something giving way, a combination that develops from physical damage to overcoming restrictions.
Usage tips
- English uses "break" in many ways, but Chinese commonly uses this verb with abstract objects such as rules, conventions, and records, so an abstract object does not imply physical damage.