破 pò
“broken; damaged; worn out”
verb, adjectiveHSK 4 · 2021 list level 3
新HSK等级2025 HSK 3.0 syllabus level
破 appears in the November 2025 exam syllabus in the following numbered entry. Levels refer to the listed reading and use, not every meaning.
- Entry 1558: 破 pò — Level 4; official annotation 4 (动、形). PDF page 118
Separate from the HSK 2.0 and 2021 list labels above. Compare the three lists.
用法How to use 破
破 describes something that is physically broken, torn, or worn out, especially shoes, clothes, cups, or screens. It is often used after the thing as 破了 to show a change of state, as in 鞋破了, or before a noun as 破衣服. A common pattern is [thing] + 破了 or 破了一个洞.
例句Example sentences
- 我的鞋破了，我想买一双新的。wǒ de xié pò le, wǒ xiǎng mǎi yì shuāng xīn de.My shoes are worn out; I want to buy a new pair.
- 杯子破了，地上有很多玻璃。bēi zi pò le, dì shàng yǒu hěn duō bō lí.The cup broke, and there is a lot of glass on the floor.
- 他的衣服破了一个洞。tā de yī fu pò le yí gè dòng.There is a hole torn in his clothes.
常见错误Common mistakes
-
✗我破了杯子。
✓我打破了杯子。
To say someone breaks an object, use 打破 or 弄破; bare 破 in this everyday sense does not take the broken object as its object.