破产

• Pinyin: pò chǎn
• Hanzi breakdown: 破 = 石 (stone) + 皮 (skin) — to shatter stone, hence to break; 产 = 立 (stand) + 生 (give birth) — property, production

Meaning

To go bankrupt; bankruptcy. The state of being unable to pay debts, or the legal process of declaring insolvency.

Used both as a verb (公司破产了 — the company went bankrupt) and as a noun (申请破产 — file for bankruptcy). Can also be used figuratively: 道德破产 (moral bankruptcy), 信誉破产 (loss of credibility). Common in business news and legal contexts. 宣布破产 (declare bankruptcy) and 破产保护 (bankruptcy protection) are frequent collocations.

Examples

1. 那家工厂因为经营不善，最终破产了。 That factory ultimately went bankrupt due to poor management.
2. 经济危机让不少小企业面临破产的风险。 The economic crisis left many small businesses facing the risk of bankruptcy.
3. 他投资失败后几乎破产了。 After his investment failed, he was nearly bankrupt.

Usage Guide

Context: business, finance, news

Tone: serious

Do Say

• 这家公司已经宣布破产了。(This company has already declared bankruptcy.)
• 如果继续亏损，公司可能会破产。(If losses continue, the company may go bankrupt.)

Don't Say

• 我今天破产了 when you just spent too much (Avoid using 破产 casually for overspending — it implies genuine financial ruin or legal bankruptcy; say 花光了 or 超支了 instead)

Origin & History

A compound of 破 (to break/shatter) and 产 (property/assets) — broken assets, i.e. financial ruin.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal