断桥

斷橋
Duànqiáo
proper noun

Meanings

  1. 1 Broken Bridge, a bridge on West Lake in Hangzhou
  2. 2 a broken bridge; a ruined bridge

Examples

HSK 5
Wǒmen zài Duànqiáo shàng děng zhe kàn Xīhú de rìluò.
We waited on the Broken Bridge to watch the sun set over West Lake.
HSK 6
Hóngshuǐ chōngzǒu le qiáomiàn, hé shàng zhǐ shèngxià yí zuò duànqiáo.
The flood swept away the deck, leaving only a broken bridge over the river.

Tips

culture
In the Legend of the White Snake (《白蛇传》) Lady White (白娘子) first meets Xu Xian (许仙) here, sharing his umbrella in a spring shower. In winter, 断桥残雪, 'lingering snow on the Broken Bridge', is one of the Ten Scenes of West Lake.
memory
The bridge is not actually broken. One explanation is that after snow the sunny side melts first, so from a distance the bridge seems to break off in the middle.

Stroke Order

断 duàn
桥 qiáo