Definition
破铜烂铁 literally means 'broken copper, rotten iron' — scrap metal. It's used as a noun to refer to worthless or discarded objects, both actual scrap metal and figuratively to dismiss something as junk or trash. As an idiom, it carries a strong negative connotation, suggesting the items have no practical value.
n
scrap metaljunkrubbishworthless objects
Examples
- 破铜烂铁。Tā zài hòuyuàn duī le yì duī pò tóng làn tiě.He piled up a heap of scrap metal in the backyard.
- 破铜烂铁，。Zhèxiē jiù diànqì quán shì pò tóng làn tiě, zǎo gāi rēng le.These old appliances are all junk — they should have been thrown away long ago.
- 破铜烂铁。Bié bǎ nàxiē pò tóng làn tiě dàng zuò shōucángpǐn.Don't treat that scrap as collectibles.
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