踏破 (tà pò) — to trample / to tread on and break; to travel extensively (figurative)

Definition

踏破 pairs the concrete sense 'tread on and break' with a literary/figurative sense of 'travel far and wide' (as in 踏破铁鞋 'wear out iron shoes searching'). Both senses are written/elevated, not everyday spoken Chinese.

verb
to trample / to tread on and breakto travel extensively (figurative)

Examples

  • 踏破。
    Tā fèn nù dì tà pò le nà zhī wán jù.
    He angrily trampled the toy.
  • ，踏破。
    Wèi le xún zhǎo dá àn, tā tà pò le wú shù shū diàn.
    He visited countless bookstores in search of the answer.
  • ，踏破。
    Tiě xié suī hǎo, dàn tà pò qiān shān wàn shuǐ réng bú yì.
    Though iron shoes are sturdy, tramping over countless mountains and rivers is still not easy.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
补充bǔchōngVerb + complement

An action followed by its result or direction.

踏tàtread
破pòbroken

踏 is to tread and 破 is broken, so the action results in breaking.

Characters in this word

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
足足zúfoot
Sound part声符shēngfú
沓
沓tà踏
Same sound today

踏 has 足 (foot) as its left part to show a foot-related meaning, and 沓 as its right part to give the sound.

Open 踏 →

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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