残破不堪

殘破不堪

cánpòbùkān

idiom

Meanings

1 utterly broken down
2 in ruins
3 dilapidated beyond bearing

Characters

damaged, remnant

Examples

战后的城市残破不堪。

Zhàn hòu de chéngshì cán pò bù kān.

The post-war city lay in ruins.

这座老房子已经残破不堪。

Zhè zuò lǎo fángzi yǐjīng cán pò bù kān.

This old house is dilapidated beyond repair.

他拿出一本残破不堪的旧书。

Tā ná chū yī běn cán pò bù kān de jiù shū.

He pulled out a thoroughly battered old book.

Tips

grammar

The X不堪 pattern means 'X beyond bearing' — 残破不堪 = 'broken beyond bearing.' Compare 疲惫不堪 (exhausted beyond endurance), 狼狈不堪 (miserably wretched). Very productive construction.

Stroke Order

残 cán

破 pò

不 bù

堪 kān