崩塌 (bēng tā) is a verb meaning 'to collapse'—typically referring to the sudden, often dramatic failure of physical structures like cliffs, mountainsides, buildings, or bridges. The first character 崩 (bēng) conveys a sense of breaking apart violently or crumbling under pressure, while 塌 (tā) emphasizes falling in or caving in; together, they intensify the idea of total structural failure. This word is commonly used in geological, engineering, and disaster-related contexts.

Unlike more general terms like 倒 (dǎo, 'to fall'), 崩塌 implies instability followed by abrupt, large-scale disintegration—often with dangerous consequences. It’s frequently seen in news reports about landslides, earthquake damage, or aging infrastructure failures. While it can be used metaphorically for systems (e.g., a political system 崩塌), such usage remains relatively formal and literary, not colloquial.