Dictionary › 破

破

pò

HSK 4 Character

What 破 means

1. broken
2. damaged
3. worn out
4. lousy
5. rotten
6. to break, split or cleave
7. to get rid of
8. to destroy
9. to break with
10. to defeat
11. to capture (a city etc)
12. to expose the truth of

Example sentences

• 他破产了。
  Tā pòchǎn le.
  He went bankrupt.
• 箱子残破。
  Xiāngzi cánpò.
  The box is broken.
• 公司破产了。
  Gōngsī pòchǎn le.
  The company went bankrupt.
• 我不能破例。
  Wǒ bù néng pòlì.
  I can't make an exception.
• 哇！打破了！
  Wā! Dǎpò le!
  Ahh! It broke!
• 我们快破产了。
  Wǒmen kuài pòchǎn le.
  We're almost broke.

Words starting with 破

• 破坏pò huàidestruction; damage; to wreck
• 破产pò chǎnto go bankrupt; to become impoverished; bankruptcy
• 破例pò lìto make an exception
• 破旧pò jiùshabby
• 破烂pò lànworn-out; dilapidated; tattered; ragged; (colloquial) rubbish; junk
• 破碎pò suìto smash to pieces; to shatter
• 破解pò jiěto break (a bond, constraint etc); to explain; to unravel
• 破裂pò lièto burst; to rupture; (of a relationship etc) to break down
• 破灭pò mièto be shattered; to be annihilated (of hope, illusions etc)
• 破案pò ànto solve a criminal case
• 破的pò dìto hit the target; (fig.) to hit the nail on the head
• 破绽pò zhànsplit seam; (fig.) flaw; weak point
• 破口大骂pò kǒu dà mà(idiom) to let out a torrent of abuse
• 破损pò sǔnto become damaged
• 破获pò huòto uncover (a criminal plot); to break open and capture
• 破败pò bàito defeat; to crush (in battle); beaten
• 破除pò chúto eliminate; to do away with; to get rid of
• 破天荒pò tiān huāngunprecedented; for the first time; never before
• 破译pò yìto decipher; to decode
• 破格pò géto break the rule; to make an exception
• 破门pò ménto burst or force open a door; to excommunicate sb (from the Roman Catholic Church)…
• 破费pò fèito spend (money or time)
• 破坏性pò huài xìngdestructive
• 破布pò bùrag

Words containing 破

• 突破tū pòto break through; to make a breakthrough; to surmount (an obstacle)
• 打破dǎ pòto break; to smash
• 冲破chōng pòbreakthrough; to overcome an obstacle quickly
• 侦破zhēn pòto investigate (as detective); to solve (crime); to uncover (a plot)
• 划破huá pòto cut open; to rip; to streak across (lightning, meteor etc)
• 突破口tū pò kǒubreach; gap; breakthrough point
• 支离破碎zhī lí pò suìscattered and smashed (idiom)
• 识破shí pòto penetrate; to see through
• 爆破bào pòto blow up; to demolish (using explosives); dynamite
• 残破cán pòbroken; dilapidated
• 撕破sī pòto tear; to rip
• 石破天惊shí pò tiān jīngearth-shattering; breakthrough; remarkable and original work
• 攻破gōng pòto make a breakthrough; to break through; to breach (military)
• 头破血流tóu pò xuè liúlit. head broken and blood flowing; fig. badly bruised
• 突破性tū pò xìnggroundbreaking
• 家破人亡jiā pò rén wángfamily bankrupt and the people dead (idiom); ruined and orphaned; destitute and homeless
• 点破diǎn pòto lay bare in a few words; to expose with a word; to point out bluntly
• 看破kàn pòto see through; disillusioned with; to reject (the world of mortals)
• 刺破cì pòto puncture; to pierce
• 说破shuō pòto lay bare (actual facts, secrets etc); to reveal
• 捅破tǒng pòto pierce; to poke through
• 穿破chuān pòto wear out (clothes); to pierce (a membrane etc)
• 道破dào pòto expose; to reveal
• 突破点tū pò diǎnpoint of penetration (military); breakthrough

Characters built on 皮

These share the phonetic component 皮 (pí), which is why their readings rhyme. Learning them as a family is far cheaper than learning them one at a time.

• 波bōwave; ripple; storm
• 玻bōsee 玻璃
• 坡pōslope; sloping; slanted
• 颇pōrather; quite; considerably
• 簸bǒto winnow; to toss up and down
• 跛bǒto limp; lame; crippled

Characters that look like 破

Easy to confuse on sight. Compare them side by side once and the pair stops costing you.

• 政zhèngpolitical; politics; government
• 核hépit; stone; nucleus
• 梭suō(textiles) shuttle
• 敛liǎn(literary) to hold back; (literary) to restrain; to control (oneself); to collect…
• 敝bìmy (polite); poor; ruined
• 钹bócymbals

Sounds the same

Read pò, tone for tone, but written differently.

• 迫to force; to compel; to approach or go towards
• 魄(literary) soul; mortal soul (i.e. attached to the body)
• 珀used in 琥珀
• 朴Celtis sinensis var. japonica
• 粕grains in distilled liquor
• 蒪myoga ginger (Zingiber mioga)