崩溃

• Pinyin: bēng kuì
• Hanzi breakdown: 崩 = 山 (mountain) + 朋 (two moons); 溃 = 氵 (water) + 贵 (phonetic)

Meaning

To collapse; to break down; to crash. Complete failure or breakdown.

Used for physical collapses (buildings, systems), mental breakdowns (emotional overwhelm), and technical failures (computer crashes). Has become extremely common in casual speech to express being overwhelmed or at one's limit.

Examples

1. 连续加班一个月，她终于崩溃了，大哭了一场。 After a month of continuous overtime, she finally broke down and had a good cry.
2. 电脑又崩溃了，文件全没保存。 The computer crashed again and none of my files were saved.
3. 股市崩溃导致很多投资者血本无归。 The stock market crash left many investors with nothing.

Usage Guide

Context: emotions, technology, systems

Tone: dramatic

Do Say

• 我要崩溃了！(I'm about to lose it!)
• 系统崩溃了。(The system crashed.)

Don't Say

• 对小挫折说'崩溃' (Using 崩溃 for minor inconveniences sounds overdramatic — it implies complete breakdown)

Origin & History

崩 (to collapse, as mountains) + 溃 (to burst, as a dam). Complete structural failure.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal