TongTong
Sign in

突破口 (tū pò kǒu) — breakthrough point; key opening or gap (literal or figurative) that allows progress

Definition

A figurative 'breakthrough point' — the opening or lever that unlocks progress on a problem. Used abstractly for strategy and problem-solving, not just a literal gap.

noun
breakthrough pointkey opening or gap (literal or figurative) that allows progress
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 突破口。
    Dí rén cóng chéng qiáng de tū pò kǒu gōng le jìn lái.
    The enemy broke in through the breach in the city wall.
  • 突破口。
    Zhè ge nán tí de tū pò kǒu zài yú zhǎo dào xīn de shù jù.
    The breakthrough point for this difficult problem lies in finding new data.
  • 突破口。
    Wǒ men xū yào dǎ kāi yí gè tū pò kǒu cái néng jì xù tuī jìn.
    We need to open a breakthrough point in order to keep advancing.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

突破break through
突tūrush破pòbreak
补充Verb + complement
口kǒuopening

突破 means breaking through, and 口 is an opening; together they name the opening that allows progress.

Characters in this word

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

突 shows 犬 (dog) under 穴 (cave; den), as a dog suddenly coming out of a den.

Open 突 →

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 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The form 口 looks like an open mouth.

Open 口 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Abstract Concepts

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