The word 破烂 is formed through a poetic, compounding logic where two characters with closely related meanings are placed side-by-side to create a single, intensified concept. The first character, 破 (pò), carries the core idea of something being broken, torn, or damaged. The second, 烂 (làn), adds the dimension of being rotten, frayed, or tattered. Together, they do not simply list two qualities but merge into a unified image of complete dilapidation, like a single brushstroke painting a picture of something utterly worn-out and worthless, where the state of being broken is inseparable from the state of being rotten.