中断
zhōngduàn
to interrupt, to break off
Part of speech · verb
Pattern visualization
Examples
- 信号突然中断了。The signal was suddenly cut off.
- 会议因故中断。The meeting was interrupted for some reason.
Collocations
中断联系中途中断突然中断中断谈判
Mnemonic
中 zhōng "middle" + 断 duàn "to break, cut": to break off in the middle, i.e. to interrupt, to break off. Same as the Korean word jung-dan (中斷). An ongoing signal, meeting or contact being cut off midway (信号中断 the signal cuts off). Unlike 停止 (to stop fully), 中断 carries the nuance of breaking off midway (and possibly resuming). 中 means "middle, midway"; 断 means "to cut" (the 断 of 断绝). Its opposite is 继续 (to continue).
Related
中止间断停止继续
Quick check
What is the nuance of 中断 versus 停止?