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倒塌 (dǎo tā) — to collapse (of building, structure), to topple over

Definition

倒塌 (dǎo tā) is a formal, written verb meaning a building or structure topples over. More vivid and dramatic than 倒 or 垮; use it for buildings, bridges, and scaffolding, not for people.

verb
to collapse (of building, structure)to topple over

Examples

  • 倒塌。
    Nián jiǔ shī xiū de lǎo fáng zi tū rán dǎo tā le.
    The old house that had fallen into disrepair suddenly collapsed.
  • 倒塌，。
    Dì zhèn dǎo zhì xǔ duō qiáo liáng dǎo tā, jiù yuán gōng zuò shí fēn kùn nan.
    The earthquake caused many bridges to collapse, making rescue work extremely difficult.
  • 倒塌，。
    Shī gōng zhōng jiǎo shǒu jià dǎo tā, xìng hǎo méi yǒu rén yuán shāng wáng.
    The scaffolding collapsed during construction, but fortunately there were no casualties.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

倒dǎofall
塌tācollapse

Both 倒 and 塌 refer to falling or collapsing, so the word means to collapse.

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
亻Written in full as人rén
Sound part声符shēngfú
到
到dào倒dào
Same sound today

倒 combines 亻 (person) with 到, which gives the sound.

Open 倒 →

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
土土tǔdirt
Sound part声符shēngfú
𦐇
𦐇𦐇塌tā
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

塌 is built from 土 (dirt) and 𦐇, which gives its sound.

Open 塌 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Buildings & Structures

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.