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压垮 (yā kuǎ) — to overwhelm, to crush (often used in passive); to be crushed (under pressure / workload)

Definition

压垮 means 'to crush or collapse under pressure' — typically used passively for a person or spirit breaking under a heavy burden. The object is usually abstract (confidence, willpower, a person), not a physical structure.

verb
to overwhelmto crush (often used in passive)to be crushed (under pressure / workload)

Examples

  • ，压垮。
    Gōng zuò yā lì tài dà, tā kuài yào yā kuǎ le.
    The work pressure is too heavy; he's about to be crushed.
  • 压垮。
    Zhè cì shī bài chè dǐ yā kuǎ le tā de xìn xīn.
    This failure completely crushed his confidence.
  • 压垮，。
    Bú yào bèi kùn nan yā kuǎ, yào jiān chí xià qù.
    Don't be overwhelmed by difficulties; persevere.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
补充bǔchōngVerb + complement

An action followed by its result or direction.

压yāpress
垮kuǎcollapse

压 means press and 垮 means collapse, so the action presses until something collapses.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 壓; 压 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
土土tǔdust
Sound part声符shēngfú
厭
厭yàn壓yā
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 壓 is built from 土, dust, and 厭, which gives the sound; 压 is the simplified form of 壓.

Open 压 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 垮 →
Appears in
Abstract Concepts

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