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毁约 (huǐ yuē) — to break a promise, to break an agreement

Definition

毁约 means to break a promise or signed agreement — used in formal contexts like contracts and business deals. Stronger and more serious than ordinary 违约 (defaulting on a rule/obligation).

verb
to break a promiseto break an agreement

Examples

  • ，。
    Tā huǐ guò yí cì yuē, dà jiā dōu bú xìn rèn tā le.
    He broke an agreement once, and nobody trusts him anymore.
  • 毁约。
    Hé tong qiān le jiù bù néng suí biàn huǐ yuē.
    Once a contract is signed, you can't casually break it.
  • 毁约，。
    Rú guǒ nǐ huǐ yuē, yào fù wéi yuē jīn.
    If you break the agreement, you have to pay a penalty.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

毁huǐdestroy/break
约yuēagreement/promise

毁 destroy/break and 约 agreement/promise together mean breaking a promise.

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 毀; 毁 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 毀 combines 臼 (cracked skull), 工 (tool), and 殳 (hand action) as a man being hit in the head; this explanation is about 毀, not the simplified 毁.

Open 毁 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 約; 约 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
糸糸mìrope
Sound part声符shēngfú
勺
勺sháo約yuē
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 約 uses 糸, a rope, for its meaning and 勺 for its sound; the simplified 约 is a later shorthand.

Open 约 →
Appears in
Law & Justice

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