Definitions

tān to collapse

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound.

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

The character "坍" is a phono-semantic compound formed by the earth radical 土, which semantically grounds it in concepts related to soil and terrain, and the component 丹, primarily functioning as a phonetic element to guide its pronunciation. Its etymology consistently associates it with the collapse or sinking of earth, as evidenced by its long-standing use to describe landslides, eroding banks, or the failure of structures built from soil. The meaning has remained stable over time, narrowly focused on physical collapse without expanding into metaphorical domains, while its structural composition has persisted without alteration, reflecting a direct and unchanged link between its written form and the idea of terrestrial disintegration.

Example Sentences Hide

这墙塌了。

Zhè qiáng tāntā le.

This wall collapsed.

地震后房屋塌。

Dìzhèn hòu fángwū tāntā.

After the earthquake, the houses collapsed.

矿井塌很危险。

Kuàngjǐng tāntā hěn wēixiǎn.

Mine collapse is very dangerous.

暴雨导致了山体方。

Bàoyǔ dǎozhìle shāntǐ tānfāng.

The heavy rain caused a landslide.

那座桥突然陷下去。

Nà zuò qiáo tūrán tānxiàn xiàqù.

That bridge suddenly collapsed.

防止土石落是工程难点。

Fángzhǐ tǔshí tānluò shì gōngchéng nándiǎn.

Preventing rock and soil collapse is a difficulty in engineering.

由于年久失修,这座塔倒了。

Yóuyú niánjiǔ shīxiū, zhè zuò tǎ tāndǎo le.

Due to long-term lack of maintenance, this tower collapsed.

连续暴雨使河岸毁情况严重。

Liánxù bàoyǔ shǐ hé'àn tānhuǐ qíngkuàng yánzhòng.

Continuous heavy rain caused severe collapse of the river bank.