砸

• Pinyin: zá
• Hanzi breakdown: 石 = stone (semantic — to strike with force); 乍 = phonetic component

Meaning

To smash; to break by striking; to bungle or ruin. Refers to physically destroying something by impact, or colloquially to wreck a performance or plan.

In literal usage: striking an object to break it (砸碎玻璃). In colloquial usage: 砸锅 means to ruin things completely; 砸场子 means to disrupt someone's event; 砸钱 means to pour large amounts of money into something.

Examples

1. 示威者砸碎了沿街的路灯灯罩，警方随即介入处置。 Protesters smashed the streetlight covers along the road, and police immediately intervened.
2. 他第一次登台演讲因过度紧张而彻底砸了，台下一片沉默。 His first time giving a speech on stage, he was so nervous that he completely blew it, and the audience fell silent.
3. 这家公司砸重金打造新品牌形象，力图在高端市场站稳脚跟。 This company is spending big to build a new brand image, aiming to secure a firm foothold in the high-end market.

Usage Guide

Context: colloquial, physical action, performance, finance

Tone: emphatic

Do Say

• 施工队在钻探过程中不慎砸坏了地下光缆，导致周边大面积通信中断。(The construction crew accidentally damaged underground fiber optic cables while drilling, causing widespread communication outages in the surrounding area.)
• 这次汇报准备严重不足，逻辑混乱，在领导面前彻底砸了。(This presentation was grossly underprepared and logically incoherent — it was a complete disaster in front of the management.)

Don't Say

• 砸掉他的信心 — use 摧毁 or 打击 for abstract things like confidence or morale; 砸 is primarily for physical objects or specific performances

Origin & History

Pictophonetic: 石 (stone) + 乍 (phonetic)

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal