collapse
collapse — 動詞
1. When a building, bridge, wall, or other structure falls down suddenly, usually b
倒塌
建築物因無法支撐而倒下
When a building, bridge, wall, or other structure falls down suddenly, usually because it cannot bear its own weight or because something hits it.
The old warehouse collapsed during the heavy rainstorm, sending bricks everywhere.
那間老舊的倉庫在暴風雨中倒塌，磚塊四處散落。
intransitive: structure + verb of sudden falling
A small earthquake made the ceiling collapse onto the dining table below.
一場小地震使得天花板塌落到下方的餐桌上。
The wall collapsed under the weight of the piled-up snow after the blizzard.
那面牆在暴風雪後因積雪的重量而倒塌。
Part of the tunnel collapsed, trapping the workers inside for several hours.
隧道的一部分坍塌，將工人困在裡面好幾個小時。
The bridge collapsed just moments after the last car drove across it.
那座橋在最後一輛車駛過後不久就倒塌了。
用法筆記
Intransitive only — you cannot 'collapse something' in this sense. The subject is typically a structure such as a building, bridge, wall, roof, or tunnel.
常見錯誤
2. When a person or animal falls down suddenly because of illness, injury, extreme
昏倒
因生病或疲勞而倒地
When a person or animal falls down suddenly because of illness, injury, extreme tiredness, or shock, and is often unable to get up.
The nurse collapsed in the hospital hallway after working for two days straight.
那位護士連續工作了兩天之後，在醫院的走廊上昏倒了。
intransitive: person + collapse + reason (after [activity])
Beatriz collapsed from heatstroke during the marathon and was rushed to a medic.
Beatriz 在馬拉松途中因中暑而昏倒，被緊急送到醫護人員那裡。
collocation: collapse from [cause: illness/heat/exhaustion]
Theo collapsed onto the sofa when he got home, worn out from the trip.
Theo 一回到家就癱倒在沙發上，旅途讓他筋疲力盡。
Several runners collapsed at the finish line of the race from total exhaustion.
好幾位跑者在抵達終點線時因完全虛脫而倒地。
The old man collapsed in the street and a passerby called for an ambulance immediately.
那位老人在街上昏倒，路過的人立刻叫了救護車。
- stand
remain upright on one's feet
- stay conscious
remain awake and aware
用法筆記
Intransitive only. The subject is always a living being. Common adverbial modifiers: 'from' (cause), 'onto' (surface landed on), 'in/at' (location). Unlike faint, collapse does not necessarily imply loss of consciousness.
常見錯誤
3. To fold a chair, table, umbrella, or other object so that it takes up less room;
摺疊
將物品摺成較小形狀以利收納
To fold a chair, table, umbrella, or other object so that it takes up less room; or for such an object to be designed with this ability.
The camping chairs collapse into a small bag that fits easily in the car.
這些露營椅可以摺疊成一個小袋子，輕鬆放進車子裡。
intransitive: furniture + collapse + into [shape]
Ravi collapsed the stroller before getting onto the crowded city bus.
Ravi 在擠上擁擠的公車之前先把嬰兒車摺疊起來。
transitive: person + collapse + object
This table collapses flat so you can store it under the bed when guests leave.
這張桌子可以摺疊變平，客人離開後能收在床底下。
The umbrella collapses to the size of a water bottle when you press the button.
按下按鈕後，這把傘會摺疊成一個水瓶的大小。
I collapsed the cardboard box and put it into the recycling bin outside the house.
我把紙箱壓扁，放進屋外的回收桶裡。
文法句型
collapse + object (transitive)
collapse + adverb (intransitive)
用法筆記
This is the only sense of collapse that can be used transitively (you can collapse something). In intransitive use, the subject is an object designed to fold: furniture, umbrellas, boxes, etc.
常見錯誤
4. When a person, company, system, or process suddenly stops working or functioning
崩潰；瓦解
系統或組織突然失敗
When a person, company, system, or process suddenly stops working or functioning in a normal way, often with serious consequences.
The travel company collapsed after running out of money during the slow season.
那家旅遊公司在淡季資金用盡後倒閉了。
collocation: company / business + collapse (meaning go bankrupt)
The peace talks collapsed when neither side was willing to change their position.
和平會談因雙方都不願改變立場而破裂。
collocation: talks / negotiations + collapse
After months of stress at work, Yusuf collapsed and could not continue his daily routine.
在工作壓力持續數月之後，Yusuf 崩潰了，無法繼續日常的生活。
The banking system collapsed during the financial crisis of two thousand and eight.
銀行體系在 2008 年的金融危機期間崩盤。
Their marriage collapsed under the constant strain of living in different countries.
他們的婚姻在長期分隔兩地的壓力下破裂了。
- fail
more general; can be gradual or partial
- break down
suggests a mechanical or functional failure
- go under
informal; specifically for businesses going bankrupt
用法筆記
Intransitive only. The subject can be concrete (a company, a government) or abstract (talks, a relationship, a plan). For people, this sense specifically means having a nervous breakdown or becoming unable to cope — distinct from sense 2 (physically falling down).
常見錯誤
collapse — 名詞
1. The sudden breakdown or complete end of an institution, company, government, or
崩盤；瓦解
系統或機構的突然失敗
The sudden breakdown or complete end of an institution, company, government, or established process, often causing serious problems.
The collapse of the bank left thousands of people without their life savings.
那家銀行的倒閉讓數千人失去了畢生積蓄。
collocation: the collapse of [institution]
Economists had warned about the collapse of the housing market for several years.
經濟學家多年來一直在警告房市崩盤的風險。
The collapse of the peace talks was a deep disappointment for everyone involved.
和平會談的破裂讓所有相關人士都深感失望。
The company's sudden collapse happened much faster than any of the investors expected.
該公司的突然倒閉比任何投資人預期的都要快得多。
The collapse of the ancient empire led to chaos and disunity across the region.
這個古帝國的瓦解導致該地區陷入混亂與分裂。
文法句型
the collapse of [something]
用法筆記
Commonly followed by 'of' + noun phrase specifying what failed. Countable when referring to a single specific instance (a collapse of the banking system); uncountable when referring to the concept generally (the threat of economic collapse).
常見錯誤
2. The sudden act of someone or something physical falling from a standing or uprig
倒塌；倒下
人或建築物倒下的動作
The sudden act of someone or something physical falling from a standing or upright position, especially from weakness or outside force.
The collapse of the old factory could be heard from over a mile away.
那座舊工廠倒塌的聲音在一英里外都聽得見。
collocation: the collapse of [structure]
Doctors said her sudden collapse was caused by severe dehydration and low blood sugar.
醫生說她突然倒下是因為嚴重脫水且血糖過低。
collocation: sudden collapse (medical context)
The sudden collapse of the bridge caused a major traffic jam across the whole city.
那座橋突然坍塌，造成整個城市大塞車。
Witnesses described the collapse of the building as a terrifying sight that shook the ground.
目擊者形容大樓倒塌的景象十分駭人，連地面都在震動。
The collapse of the elderly man at the bus stop shocked everyone nearby.
那位老先生在公車站牌旁倒下，在場的人都嚇了一跳。
文法句型
the collapse of [something]
用法筆記
Often preceded by 'the' + 'of' to specify what collapsed. Use 'sudden collapse' to emphasize unexpectedness. For people, this refers to the physical act of falling (not a mental breakdown — see verb sense 4 for that meaning).