破解

• Pinyin: pò jiě
• Hanzi breakdown: 破 = 石 + 皮 (stone + skin — to break); 解 = 角 + 刀 + 牛 (horn + knife + ox — to untangle/undo)

Meaning

To crack; to decipher; to break (a code, encryption, or puzzle). To find the solution to something deliberately concealed or technically protected.

Used in cryptography (破解密码), software (破解程序), and figuratively for cracking difficult problems (破解难题). In tech contexts, implies overcoming security mechanisms. Can have legal or illegal connotations depending on context.

Examples

1. 安全研究人员在实验室环境中成功破解了这套被认为固若金汤的商业加密算法，并将漏洞细节负责任地提交给了开发商。 In a lab setting, security researchers successfully cracked a commercial encryption algorithm once thought to be unbreakable and responsibly reported the vulnerability details to the developer.
2. 考古学家经过数年潜心研究，终于破解了这批古代铭文的语言密码，揭开了失落文明的历史谜团。 After years of focused study, archaeologists finally deciphered the language behind these ancient inscriptions, lifting the veil on the historical mysteries of a lost civilization.
3. 该团队利用量子计算原型机在理论层面验证了破解现有公钥加密体系的可行性，引发了密码学界的广泛关注。 Using a quantum computing prototype, the team verified in theory that breaking today’s public-key encryption systems could be feasible, drawing widespread attention in the cryptography community.

Usage Guide

Context: technology, cryptography, research, problem-solving

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 网络安全领域的研究表明，采用后量子密码学标准能够有效抵御未来量子计算机破解现有加密协议的潜在威胁。(Research in the field of cybersecurity demonstrates that adopting post-quantum cryptography standards can effectively resist the potential threat of future quantum computers cracking existing encryption protocols.)
• 谈判陷入僵局后，双方聘请了专业调解机构介入，希望借助第三方视角找到破解困局的关键突破口。(After negotiations reached an impasse, both sides engaged a professional mediation organisation to intervene, hoping to use a third-party perspective to find the key breakthrough for cracking the deadlock.)

Don't Say

• 破解 in tech contexts often implies bypassing security without authorisation — distinguish it from 解密 (authorised decryption) in professional contexts; for solving a general problem, 解决 is broader and more neutral

Origin & History

破 (to break through — 石 stone + 皮 skin) + 解 (to untangle, to solve — 角 horn + 刀 knife + 牛 ox → to undo/untangle)

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal