断壁残垣

斷壁殘垣

duànbì-cányuán

idiom

Meanings

1 broken walls and ruined fences
2 ruins
3 a scene of devastation

Characters

remnant, damaged

low wall, fence

Examples

地震过后，村子只剩下一片断壁残垣。

Dìzhèn guòhòu, cūnzi zhǐ shèngxià yīpiàn duànbìcányuán.

After the earthquake, all that was left of the village was a field of ruins.

战火摧毁了古城，留下断壁残垣。

Zhànhuǒ cuīhuǐ le gǔchéng, liúxià duànbìcányuán.

War destroyed the old city, leaving only broken walls and crumbling fences.

Tips

usage

A set pair of images for ruins: 壁 = wall (of a building), 垣 = enclosure wall. Common in news reports on disasters, war zones, and abandoned heritage sites.

Stroke Order

断 duàn

壁 bì

残 cán

垣 yuán