破铜烂铁 — “Junk”
破铜烂铁 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “Junk”. Scrap metal; a collection of old, broken, and useless items. Literally, “broken copper and rotten iron”.
破铜烂铁 Pronunciation and Pinyin
破铜烂铁 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 破铜烂铁
Origin and Story of 破铜烂铁
During the Qing Dynasty, when the emperor made an inspection tour to the south, Hang Dazong went to greet him and was summoned for an audience. The emperor asked him how he made a living.
He replied that he ran a second-hand goods stall.
The emperor then asked how he operated the stall. Hang Dazong explained that he collected broken copper and scrap iron and then sold them.
The emperor laughed heartily and personally wrote down the six characters "买卖破铜烂铁" (buying and selling broken copper and scrap iron), bestowing them upon him as a signboard.
Idioms Related to 破铜烂铁
More idioms starting with 破
- pò破yè业shī失chǎn产lose family fortune and property
- pò破chǎn产dàng荡yè业go bankrupt and lose everything
- pò破jūn军shā杀jiāng将Shatter the army and slay the general
- pò破luǎn卵qīng倾cháo巢destroy completely and ruthlessly
- pò破kǒu口dà大mà骂curse someone out loudly
- pò破kǒu口nù怒mà骂curse loudly and harshly
- pò破kǒu口tòng痛mà骂to curse someone out
- pò破guó国wáng亡zōng宗ruined state, extinguished lineage
- pò破guó国wáng亡jiā家realm broken and family destroyed
- pò破jiān坚cuī摧gāng刚Break through strong defenses
- pò破bì壁fēi飞qù去achieve sudden prominence or success
- pò破ké壳ér而chū出break out of the shell
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Open the tool →Questions about 破铜烂铁
What does 破铜烂铁 mean?
破铜烂铁 (pò tóng làn tiě) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “Junk”.
How do you pronounce 破铜烂铁?
破铜烂铁 is pronounced pò tóng làn tiě in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 破铜烂铁 literally mean?
Literally, 破铜烂铁 means “broken copper and rotten iron”. It is used to mean “Junk”.
Where does 破铜烂铁 come from?
破铜烂铁 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to the modern era. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 破铜烂铁?
①破旧锈烂无用的铜铁器。②泛指各种破旧无用的器物。