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崩 (bēng) — to collapse; to crumble (of mountains, structures); to burst; to split open (of things under pressure); to die (of an emperor)

Definition

As a verb, 崩 covers physical collapse or bursting of structures (mountains, balloons) and the formal 'death of an emperor' in classical contexts (驾崩).

verb
to collapseto crumble (of mountains, structures)to burstto split open (of things under pressure)to die (of an emperor)

Examples

  • ，。
    Shān tǐ bēng tā, zǔ sè le dào lù.
    The mountain collapsed, blocking the road.
  • 崩，。
    Qì qiú tū rán bēng kāi le, xià le wǒ yí tiào.
    The balloon suddenly burst, startling me.
  • 崩。
    Lì shǐ shàng jì zǎi le zhè wèi huáng dì de jià bēng.
    History records the death of this emperor.

Origin

Sound + meaning
六书liùshū
形声xíngshēng

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
山山shānmountain
Sound part声符shēngfú
朋
朋péng崩bēng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

崩 uses 山 (mountain) to show a mountain collapsing, with 朋 added for the sound.

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