破防

pòfáng

verb

Meanings

1 to be emotionally overwhelmed
2 to have one's defenses broken
3 to be deeply moved or hurt

Characters

to break; to shatter

defense; to defend

Literally 'break defense' — having your emotional armor pierced

Examples

看到这个视频我直接破防了。

Kàn dào zhè ge shìpín wǒ zhíjiē pòfáng le.

I was emotionally destroyed when I saw this video.

他一句话就让我破防了。

Tā yī jù huà jiù ràng wǒ pòfáng le.

Just one sentence from him broke through my defenses.

这部电影太感人了，全场破防。

Zhè bù diànyǐng tài gǎnrén le, quánchǎng pòfáng.

This movie was so touching that the whole audience was in tears.

Tips

culture

破防 comes from gaming (breaking through an enemy's armor/defense). It went mainstream around 2021 to describe having your emotional walls broken — being moved to tears, deeply hurt, or emotionally shaken by something unexpected.

usage

Can describe both positive emotions (being moved to tears by something beautiful) and negative ones (being emotionally devastated). Context determines the tone.

Stroke Order

破 pò

防 fáng