The word 打破 is formed by combining two characters, each contributing an essential action to create a new, unified concept. The first character, 打 (dǎ), fundamentally means "to strike" or "to hit", representing an initial forceful action. The second, 破 (pò), means "to break" or "to split", indicating the resultant state or effect. Together, they fuse sequentially, the act of striking leading to the state of breaking, to form a single verb that means "to break open/shatter", often used both literally (as breaking an object) and figuratively (as breaking a record or a deadlock).