摧

cuī

崔 + 扌

Definitions

cuī to break; to destroy; to devastate; to ravage; to repress

Etymology phono-semantic

hand

Semantic: 扌 Phonetic: 崔

About

摧 is a phono-semantic compound: the left-side radical 扌 (shǒu, hand) marks it as involving a manual action or exertion of force, while the right-side component 崔 (cuī) provides the pronunciation. Originally, the character meant to break, smash, or destroy something physically, often with the connotation of applying great pressure until failure. This literal sense later expanded to signify profound emotional or psychological devastation, deep grief, intense sorrow, or a broken spirit. Thus, the meaning extends from physically breaking objects to metaphorically shattering one's emotional state.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

台风摧毁了树木。

Táifēng cuīhuǐ le shùmù.

The typhoon destroyed the trees.

疾病摧残了他的健康。

Jíbìng cuīcán le tā de jiànkāng.

The disease ravaged his health.

地震摧毁了整个城镇。

Dìzhèn cuīhuǐ le zhěnggè chéngzhèn.

The earthquake destroyed the entire town.

失败没有摧垮他的意志。

Shībài méiyǒu cuīkuǎ tā de yìzhì.

Failure did not crush his will.

持续的压力摧残着她的精神。

Chíxù de yālì cuīcán zhe tā de jīngshén.

The constant pressure is ravaging her spirit.

这场战争摧毁了无数家庭的生活。

Zhè chǎng zhànzhēng cuīhuǐ le wúshù jiātíng de shēnghuó.

This war destroyed the lives of countless families.

经济危机几乎摧垮了该国的金融体系。

Jīngjì wēijī jīhū cuīkuǎ le gāi guó de jīnróng tǐxì.

The economic crisis almost crushed the country's financial system.

长期的环境污染正在摧残着这片土地的生态系统。

Chángqī de huánjìng wūrǎn zhèngzài cuīcán zhe zhè piàn tǔdì de shēngtài xìtǒng.

Long-term environmental pollution is ravaging the ecosystem of this land.

Related Characters

Component: 崔

Component: 扌

摧