USAGE NOTE 用法说明: break, tear, cut, smash, crack, burst
You cannot break something soft such as cloth or paper, but you can tear it (=pull it apart, leaving rough edges where the parts have separated) or cut it (=divide it using a knife, scissors etc). 布或纸等柔软的东西不能打破或折断，所以不能用 break, 但可以用 tear 表示撕［扯］破; 或以刀、剪刀等利刃剪断或割断，用 cut 表示:
He angrily tore the letter into pieces. 他生气地把信撕成碎片。
She cut the paper into squares. 她把纸裁成正方形。
Things made of glass, CHINA etc can break (or get broken) or smash (=break suddenly into many small pieces). 玻璃或瓷器制品可以破碎 (break) , 或被打碎 (get broken) , 或粉碎 (smash):
The plate smashed on the stone floor. 盘子掉在石地上摔得粉碎。
If something hard cracks, it breaks but the parts do not get separated. 如果硬物裂开(crack) , 物体破了但没有变成碎片:
His windshield cracked, but it didn't break. 他的挡风玻璃裂了，但没有破碎。
If something suddenly breaks because of pressure from inside, it bursts. 如果某物由于内部压力而突然爆开，那就是爆裂 (burst):
She blew up the paper bag until it burst. 她向纸袋里吹气，直到纸袋爆开为止。