破坏
pòhuài
to destroy, to damage
Part of speech · verb
Pattern visualization
no decomposition available
Examples
- 战争破坏了许多古老的建筑。The war destroyed many ancient buildings.
- 我们不应该破坏自然环境。We should not damage the natural environment.
Collocations
破坏环境破坏关系严重破坏蓄意破坏
Mnemonic
破 pò "to break" + 坏 huài "to ruin": to break and ruin, i.e. to destroy, to damage. 破 has the stone radical 石. Means ① to smash ② to harm (order, relations, environment). Opposite of 保护 (to protect) and 建设 (to build up).
Related
损坏毁坏摧毁保护
Quick check
What is an antonym of 破坏?