中断 meaning in English

中断 is used when an ongoing process, connection, or activity stops before it is finished, often unexpectedly. It is common with signals, meetings, studies, and supply lines. Example: 比赛因为下雨中断了。(Bǐsài yīnwèi xiàyǔ zhōngduàn le.) The match was interrupted because of rain.

中 (zhōng) means middle and 断 (duàn) means to break. Something that breaks in the middle, like a phone call that cuts off halfway, has been 中断 (zhōngduàn).

Common mistake: Learners often use 中断 to mean interrupting someone who is talking. For cutting into a person's speech, 打断 (dǎduàn) is more natural, as in 别打断我 (bié dǎduàn wǒ). Also note that 中 here is first tone, zhōng, not the fourth tone zhòng used in 中奖.