collapse; fall through; lose face
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
2 senses · 6 examplesverb
to collapse; to fall through; to fail (of a business, project, or situation)
dialectUsed when an enterprise, undertaking, or situation fails completely and cannot continue. Common in Wu dialect (Shanghai area).
Nà那
jiā家
gōng公
sī司
yīn因
wèi为
zī资
jīn金
wèn问
tí题
tān坍
tái台
le了
。
That company collapsed due to funding problems.
Zhè这
chǎng场
jiāo交
yì易
rú如
guǒ果
tán谈
bù不
hǎo好
，
zhěng整
gè个
jì计
huà划
jiù就
yào要
tān坍
tái台
。
If this deal doesn't go well, the whole plan will fall through.
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Tā他
shēng生
yì意
zuò做
tān坍
tái台
le了
，
qiàn欠
le了
yī一
pì屁
gu股
zhài债
。
His business failed, leaving him deep in debt.
verb
to lose face; to be disgraced; to make a fool of oneself
dialectUsed when someone is embarrassed or humiliated in front of others, particularly in social situations.
Tā他
zài在
nà那
me么
duō多
rén人
miàn面
qián前
chū出
cuò错
le了
，
zhēn真
tān坍
tái台
。
He made a mistake in front of so many people; what a disgrace.
Shū输
gěi给
duì对
fāng方
bìng并
bù不
tān坍
tái台
，
pà怕
de的
shì是
bù不
gǎn敢
zài再
bǐ比
。
Losing to the opponent isn't humiliating; what's scary is not daring to compete again.
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Nǐ你
chuān穿
chéng成
zhè这
yàng样
qù去
cān参
jiā加
hūn婚
lǐ礼
，
yào要
tān坍
tái台
de的
。
If you go to the wedding dressed like that, you'll make a fool of yourself.