破碎

• Pinyin: pò suì
• Hanzi breakdown: 破 = 石 + 皮 (stone + skin — to break); 碎 = 石 + 卒 (stone + soldier/end — to fragment completely)

Meaning

To shatter; to fragment; to break into pieces. Used literally for objects that break into many fragments, and figuratively for shattered families, broken hearts, or fragmented societies.

The figurative use is extremely common: 家庭破碎 (broken family), 心灵破碎 (shattered spirit), 山河破碎 (a nation torn apart). In literary and historical writing, 山河破碎 evokes national tragedy. Implies a more thorough fragmentation than 破裂.

Examples

1. 地震过后，满地破碎的瓦砾与扭曲的钢筋交织在一起，曾经热闹的街区变成一片令人心碎的废墟。 After the earthquake, shattered rubble and twisted steel lay tangled across the ground, and what had once been a lively neighborhood became a heartbreaking wasteland.
2. 战火蔓延的岁月里，无数家庭天各一方、妻离子散，那种山河破碎的苦痛深深镌刻在整整一代人的集体记忆中。 In the years when war spread, countless families were torn apart and scattered, and the pain of a shattered country was etched deep into an entire generation’s collective memory.
3. 她用了整整三年的时间，才将那段失败婚姻留下的破碎自我重新拼凑起来，找回对生活的信心与热情。 It took her a full three years to piece herself back together after the failed marriage, regaining her confidence and passion for life.

Usage Guide

Context: description, family, history, emotion, narrative

Tone: negative

Do Say

• 心理治疗师指出，童年经历家庭破碎的个体在成年后往往在亲密关系中表现出更高程度的依恋焦虑，需要有针对性的长期心理干预。(Psychotherapists note that individuals who experienced broken families in childhood often exhibit higher levels of attachment anxiety in intimate relationships as adults, requiring targeted long-term psychological intervention.)
• 这部战争题材的纪录片以幸存者的亲身讲述为主线，真实还原了那个山河破碎年代中普通人所经历的苦难、坚韧与人性的光辉。(Using survivors' first-hand accounts as its main thread, this war documentary faithfully recreates the suffering, resilience, and human brilliance experienced by ordinary people in that era of a shattered homeland.)

Don't Say

• 破碎 implies fragmentation into many pieces — 破裂 implies splitting (fewer, larger pieces); 支离破碎 is a four-character idiom meaning 'in pieces/fragmented' and should not be abbreviated to 破碎 in formal writing; 心碎 is colloquial for heartbreak

Origin & History

破 (broken — 石 stone + 皮 skin) + 碎 (to fragment, to smash — 石 stone + 卒 soldier/end → stones broken to the end)

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal