About
The character 碎, meaning "to break into fragments" or "broken", is structurally composed of the semantic component 石 (stone), indicating a hard, brittle material, and the phonetic component 卒, which historically also contributed a sense of completion or finality, here suggesting a process brought to an end through disintegration. Its core meaning has consistently revolved around the concept of fragmentation, initially describing the shattering of physical objects like jade or pottery. Over time, this concrete sense expanded into more abstract applications, allowing the character to describe things that are metaphorically broken, such as scattered thoughts or a defeated heart, and further into describing trivial or insignificant matters, as in "trivial talk" (碎语), extending the idea of something reduced to minute, unimportant pieces.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
杯子摔碎了。
他把纸撕碎了。
这些碎片很锋利。
她心碎地离开了。
机器把石头粉碎成粉末。
地震后许多东西都破碎了。
由于操作不当，设备零件碎裂了。
这些琐碎的事情让人心烦意乱。