塌方

tāfāng

verb #33,685

Meanings

1 to cave in; to collapse (of earth, embankments, mine shafts, tunnels)
2 (noun) a landslide; a cave-in

Characters

to cave in; collapse

square; place; section

Examples

暴雨引发了山路塌方。

Bàoyǔ yǐnfā le shānlù tāfāng.

The torrential rain triggered a landslide on the mountain road.

矿井发生了塌方，所幸没有人员伤亡。

Kuàngjǐng fāshēng le tāfāng, suǒxìng méiyǒu rényuán shāngwáng.

There was a cave-in at the mine, but luckily no one was hurt.

Tips

usage

塌方 specifically describes earth/mass collapse — roads, hillsides, tunnels, mine shafts. For a building collapsing use 倒塌; for the figurative "the deal collapsed" use 崩盘 or 黄了. In recent internet slang 塌方 is also used for celebrities' careers crashing.

Stroke Order

塌 tā

方 fāng