Definition
间断 (jiàn duàn) means 'to be interrupted' or 'to have a break', often used in the negative (从不间断) to mean 'continuously, without a break'. It differs from 中断 (zhōng duàn), which implies a deliberate or accidental stopping of an ongoing process, and from 间歇 (jiàn xiē), which refers to a temporary pause, often periodic. 打断 (dǎ duàn) is specifically for interrupting a person or an action.
verb
to be interruptedto be interruptedto have a temporary break
Easily confused
- 简短jiǎn duǎnsound-alikebrief, concise (of speech, writing, etc.)
- 尖端jiān duānsound-alike(noun) tip, pointed end
Examples
- 间断。Tā gōngzuò qǐlai cóng bú jiàn duàn.He never takes a break when he works.
- 间断。Wǎngluò xìnhào jiàn duàn le jǐ fēnzhōng.The internet signal was interrupted for a few minutes.
- 间断。Zhè chǎng yǔ cóng zǎo dào wǎn méiyǒu jiàn duàn guò.This rain didn't let up from morning to night.
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