断裂

• Pinyin: duàn liè
• Hanzi breakdown: 断 = 斤 (axe) + 纟(thread) — severing through; 裂 = 歹 (crack/bad) + 刀 (knife) — splitting open

Meaning

To fracture, split apart, or rupture completely. Used for physical materials breaking under stress, geological faults, or metaphorical severing of cultural or social continuity.

Applied across scientific, social, and cultural domains: 骨骼断裂 (bone fracture), 断裂带 (fault zone in geology), 文化断裂 (cultural rupture). More severe than 断开 (to disconnect) — implies structural failure or total separation. The metaphorical sense is common in social analysis and literary criticism.

Examples

1. 地质勘探显示，该区域地下存在一条活跃的断裂带，有潜在地震风险。 Geological surveys show an active fault zone underground in this area, posing a potential earthquake risk.
2. 高强度拉伸导致钢缆突然断裂，施工吊篮坠落，造成严重事故。 The high-intensity pull caused the steel cable to snap suddenly; the construction gondola fell, resulting in a serious accident.
3. 战乱导致当地历史文化的传承出现严重断裂，许多传统技艺从此失传。 War caused a severe rupture in the transmission of local history and culture, and many traditional crafts were lost from then on.

Usage Guide

Context: geology, engineering, cultural analysis

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 材料力学实验表明，这种合金在低温环境下极易发生脆性断裂，不适合用于寒冷地区的结构件。(Materials mechanics experiments show that this alloy is highly prone to brittle fracture in low-temperature environments and is unsuitable for structural components in cold regions.)
• 历史学家指出，外来入侵往往会造成本土文化传统的断裂，使后人难以追溯民族记忆。(Historians point out that foreign invasions often cause ruptures in indigenous cultural traditions, making it difficult for later generations to trace national memory.)

Don't Say

• 他们的友谊断裂了 — for interpersonal relationship breakdowns prefer 破裂 or 决裂; 断裂 is primarily for physical structural failure or high-level continuity breaks; say 他们的友谊破裂了

Origin & History

断 (break/cut off) + 裂 (split/crack)

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal