Definition
停顿 (tíng dùn) means 'to pause, to halt' — it emphasizes a temporary break or interruption in speech, activity, or a process, often with the implication that it will resume. Unlike 停止 (tíng zhǐ 'to cease, to stop completely'), 停顿 suggests a pause rather than a permanent end; it's more specific than 停 (tíng 'to stop') and is used for speech, production, or motion, not for parking a vehicle.
verb
to pauseto haltto break off (in speech, activity, etc.)
Examples
- 停顿，。Tā yǎnjiǎng shí tūrán tíng dùn le yíxià, ránhòu jìxù.He paused for a moment during his speech, then continued.
- ，停顿。Yīnwèi jīqì gùzhàng, shēngchǎn xiàn shàng fāshēng le tíng dùn.Due to a machine malfunction, there was a halt on the production line.
- 停顿。Dúshū shí yùdào bù dǒng de dìfang kěyǐ tíng dùn sīkǎo yíxià.While reading, you can pause to think when you come across something you don't understand.
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