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断交 (duàn jiāo) — to break off a friendship (personal); to sever diplomatic relations (between countries)

Definition

断 (duàn) means 'to sever/cut off,' so 断交 covers both personal friendships and diplomatic ties. In formal writing it usually means 'sever diplomatic relations.'

verb
to break off a friendship (personal)to sever diplomatic relations (between countries)

Examples

  • 断交。
    Liǎng guó yīn wèi lǐng tǔ wèn tí zhèng shì duàn jiāo le.
    The two countries formally severed diplomatic relations over territorial issues.
  • 断交。
    Tā men yīn wèi wù huì ér duàn jiāo le.
    They broke off their friendship due to a misunderstanding.
  • ，。
    Tā men céng jīng shì hǎo péng you, hòu lái duàn le jiāo.
    They used to be good friends, but later broke off relations.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

断duànbreak off
交jiāorelations/friendship

'断' means to break off, and '交' means relations or friendship; together they mean severing ties.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 斷; 断 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 斷 uses 𢇍 (to cut) and 斤 (axe) together.

Open 断 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

交 originally drew a human with crossed legs. In the modern shape, the upper part resembles a standing person.

Open 交 →
Appears in
International & Diplomacy

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