Chinese word

脆

Pronunciation

Pinyincuì

Meaning

  • adjectivefragile

Example

这个花瓶很脆，请放稳。zhè ge huā píng hěn cuì qǐng fàng wěn

This vase is very fragile, so please set it down securely.

Illustration for 脆 (fragile)

More examples

这个玻璃杯很脆，一不小心就会碎。zhè ge bō lí bēi hěn cuì yí bù xiǎo xīn jiù huì suì

This glass is very fragile and will shatter if you are not careful.

Core concept

Something that seems firm but cannot bend or absorb much force before it suddenly breaks.

Common phrases

  • 脆的东西cuì de dōng xī

    fragile things

  • 一碰就脆yí pèng jiù cuì

    break at the slightest touch

Similar words

易碎yì suì: Easily broken into pieces or chipped by a small bump or touch.
脆弱cuì ruò: Vulnerable to outside forces, with little strength to resist damage or failure.
易坏yì huài: Prone to damage or deterioration as a result of use, handling, or age.

Definition in Chinese

容易在外力作用下破裂或损坏的状态。róng yì zài wài lì zuò yòng xià pò liè huò sǔn huài de zhuàng tài

Word origin

脆 (cuì, "fragile") combines 月 (ròu, "flesh"), which points to a physical quality, with 危 (wēi, "danger"), which mainly supplies the pronunciation.

Usage tips

  • A food description can use this adjective positively for a crust or snack that gives a clean bite, so the same word does not always signal an unwanted weakness.

Other meanings

  • brittleadjective
  • crispadjective

Opposites

Word lists with this word