撕碎 (sī suì) — to tear to pieces, to shred

Definition

撕碎 is a resultative verb meaning 'tear into pieces' — the 碎 emphasizes the pieces are small, more violent/destructive than plain 撕 ('tear').

verb

to tear to piecesto shred

撕碎。
Tā bǎ nà zhāng zhǐ sī suì le.
He tore that piece of paper to shreds.
撕碎。
Dà fēng bǎ hǎi bào sī suì le.
The strong wind tore the poster to pieces.
撕碎。
Tā yòng jiǎn dāo bǎ bù sī suì le.
She tore the cloth to shreds with scissors.

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

补充bǔchōngVerb + complement

An action followed by its result or direction.

碎suìshattered

撕 is tearing, and 碎 shows the result into pieces.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

石卒碎

Meaning part形符xíngfú

石石shístone

Sound part声符shēngfú

卒

卒zú碎suì

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

碎 pairs 石 (stone) with 卒, which gives the sound; the stone part is tied to the sense of breaking or smashing.