看破 (kān pò) — to see through (a lie, scheme, or hidden intention); to be resigned to (the inevitable); to accept fate

Definition

Combines 'seeing through' a lie or scheme with the deeper sense of accepting what cannot be changed. Often paired with 红尘 (the world) or 一切 to mean letting go of illusions.

verb
to see through (a lie, scheme, or hidden intention)to be resigned to (the inevitable)to accept fate

Examples

  • 看破。
    Tā kān pò le duì fāng de huǎng yán.
    He saw through the other party's lies.
  • 看破。
    Tā duì mìng yùn yǐ jīng kān pò le.
    She has already resigned to fate.
  • 看破，。
    Zhǐ yǒu kān pò yí qiè, cái néng huó dé tǎn rán.
    Only by seeing through everything can one live at ease.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
补充bǔchōngVerb + complement

An action followed by its result or direction.

看kànsee
破pòthrough

看 'see' and 破 'through' combine to mean seeing clearly through something.

Characters in this word

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

The shape 看 puts 手 (hand) over 目 (eye), showing a hand placed above the eyes to gaze into the distance.

Open 看 →

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

Meaning part形符xíngfú
石石shí
Sound part声符shēngfú
皮
皮pí破pò
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

破 has 石 (stone) as its meaning part and 皮 as its sound part.

Open 破 →

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