‘读破’ (dú pò) is a noun referring to the error of misreading a classical or formal Chinese text due to incorrect punctuation—especially when a reader pauses or breaks the sentence at the wrong place, changing its meaning. The character 读 means 'to read', and 破 literally means 'to break' or 'to rupture'; together, they vividly convey the idea of 'breaking' the text at an inappropriate point, disrupting grammatical structure and semantic coherence. This term is most commonly used in academic, literary, or educational contexts when discussing classical Chinese texts, where punctuation was historically absent or minimal.

‘读破’ highlights how crucial proper phrasing is in Chinese, especially since word boundaries and clause divisions aren’t always marked visually. It’s often cited by teachers correcting students’ recitations of ancient poetry or Confucian classics, and sometimes appears in linguistic discussions about textual interpretation and philology. Though rare in casual speech, it remains a precise, culturally resonant term for a specific kind of reading error rooted in China’s long tradition of textual scholarship.