Chinese word

断裂

Pronunciation

Pinyinduàn liè

Meaning

  • verbcrack

Example

墙壁断裂了。qiáng bì duàn liè le

The wall cracked.

Illustration for 断裂 (crack)

More examples

他们因为误会，彼此的信任断裂了。tā men yīn wèi wù huì bí cǐ de xìn rèn duàn liè le

Because of a misunderstanding, their trust in each other broke down.

Core concept

Pressure, age, or another force turns one continuous whole into separated sections, and the same pattern can describe a bond.

Common phrases

  • 关系断裂guān xì duàn liè

    relationship breaks down

  • 信任断裂xìn rèn duàn liè

    trust breaks down

  • 友谊断裂yǒu yì duàn liè

    friendship breaks down

Similar words

裂开liè kāi: Open wide as a tear forms, creating a broad gap.
破裂pò liè: Break open and develop a tear or hole, especially from pressure or impact.
断开duàn kāi: Break apart from a connected section and become separate.

Definition in Chinese

指物体因受力、老化或外力而产生裂缝并导致部分或完全分离，也可比喻联系或关系的破裂。zhǐ wù tǐ yīn shòu lì lǎo huà huò wài lì ér chǎn shēng liè fèng bìng dǎo zhì bù fèn huò wán quán fēn lí yě kě bǐ yù lián xì huò guān xì de pò liè

Word origin

断 (duàn, "cut off") + 裂 (liè, "tear apart") presents separation and splitting together, which suits both a damaged object and a broken connection.

Usage tips

  • Chinese does not mark past tense in the verb itself, so aspect markers and time expressions around this change-of-state verb carry the timing in real sentences.

Other meanings

  • breakverb
  • rupturenoun

Opposites

Word lists with this word