碎

suì

卒 + 石

HSK 2.0Level 5

HSK 3.0Level 5

Definitions

suì (verb) to break; to smash into pieces

suì (adjective) broken; fragmentary

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 石 represents the meaning and 卒 represents the sound.

Semantic: 石 Phonetic: 卒

About

碎 is a phono-semantic compound: the stone radical 石 on the left provides the meaning (associated with rocks, minerals, and hard materials), while the right component 卒 gives the sound. It originally denotes the state of being broken into many small, irregular pieces, or the act of smashing a brittle object like glass, ceramic, or stone until it shatters. Figuratively, it describes fragmented concepts, scattered pieces of information, trivial and disconnected matters, or a person who is exceptionally talkative and bothersome, endlessly chattering about minor details.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

杯子摔碎了。

Bēizi shuāi suì le.

The cup fell and broke.

他把纸撕碎了。

Tā bǎ zhǐ sī suì le.

He tore the paper into pieces.

这些碎片很锋利。

Zhèxiē suìpiàn hěn fēnglì.

These fragments are very sharp.

她心碎地离开了。

Tā xīn suì de líkāi le.

She left heartbroken.

机器把石头粉碎成粉末。

Jīqì bǎ shítou fěnsuì chéng fěnmò.

The machine crushed the stone into powder.

地震后许多东西都破碎了。

Dìzhèn hòu xǔduō dōngxi dōu pòsuì le.

After the earthquake, many things were broken.

由于操作不当，设备零件碎裂了。

Yóuyú cāozuò bùdàng, shèbèi língjiàn suìliè le.

Due to improper operation, the equipment parts cracked.

这些琐碎的事情让人心烦意乱。

Zhèxiē suǒsuì de shìqing ràng rén xīnfán yìluàn.

These trivial things make people upset and distracted.

Related Characters

Component: 卒

Component: 石

碎