noun HSK 5
fragment · shard · piece · debris
Meaning
碎片 refers to small broken pieces of something larger, like glass shards, rock fragments, or debris from a broken object. It can be used literally for physical fragments or metaphorically for fragmented memories, information, or time.
Usage
Commonly used in both everyday and formal contexts to describe broken pieces of materials like glass, pottery, metal, or rock. In modern usage, it also appears in tech contexts (碎片化 'fragmentation') and psychology (记忆碎片 'memory fragments'). The word emphasizes the broken, incomplete nature of the pieces.
Examples
- 01小心地上的玻璃碎片，别被割伤了。, .Be careful of the glass shards on the ground, don't get cut.
- 02考古学家在遗址发现了许多陶器碎片。.Archaeologists discovered many pottery fragments at the site.
Characters
Measure words
- 块一块碎片
- 片一片碎片
Common collocations
- 玻璃碎片glass shards
- 记忆碎片memory fragments
- 碎片化fragmentation
- 时间碎片fragments of time, bits of spare time
Antonyms
Origin
Combines 碎 (broken/shattered) with 片 (flat piece/slice) to literally mean 'broken pieces.' The character 碎 contains the stone radical 石, originally referring to broken stones or rocks.