垮

kuǎ
verb HSK 7-9 #4,868

Meanings

  1. 1 to collapse; to fall apart
  2. 2 to break down; to be crushed

Examples

HSK 3
Tā de shēntǐ kuài bèi lèikuǎ le.
His body is about to break down from exhaustion.
HSK 5
Nà zuò lǎo lóu zài dìzhèn zhōng kuǎ le.
That old building collapsed in the earthquake.
HSK 7-9
Gōngsī jīngyíng búshàn, zuìzhōng kuǎtái le.
The company was poorly managed and eventually went under.

Tips

usage
垮 is versatile: buildings can 垮 (collapse), bodies can be 累垮 (worn down from exhaustion), regimes can 垮台 (fall from power), and businesses can 垮 (go bankrupt). The core image is always something giving way under pressure.

Components

radical
土 tǔ
earth; soil
Left earth radical, the indexing component. Marks 垮 as something built of earth: a wall, embankment, or earthen structure. The whole character names what happens when such a structure fails - collapsing, caving in. Same radical anchors 城 (city wall), 墙 (wall), 塌 (collapse).
phonetic
夸 kuā
to boast; exaggerate
Right-side 夸 supplies the sound: kuā shifts to kuǎ with a tone change. The 'boasting' meaning fits with mild irony - collapse can follow over-extension or bragging. Same kuā/kuǎ phonetic series: 跨 (stride across), 挎 (carry on arm).

Stroke Order

垮 kuǎ