shard
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shard
A broken piece of a brittle material such as glass, porcelain, ceramic, or clay. It is often used in the plural.
Vorsicht, heb die Scherben der zerbrochenen Vase auf, damit sich niemand verletzt.
Careful, pick up the shards of the broken vase so that nobody gets hurt.
Although a single piece is 'die Scherbe' (the shard), the word is usually used in the plural, 'die Scherben' (the shards). This is because something fragile often breaks into many pieces.
Pass auf, auf dem Küchenboden liegen Scherben!
Watch out, there are shards on the kitchen floor!
The word 'Scherbe' (shard) is used specifically for broken pieces of hard, brittle materials. You can talk about shards of glass, porcelain, ceramic, or clay, but not of wood or metal.
Am Strand habe ich mich an einer Glasscherbe geschnitten.
I cut myself on a shard of glass at the beach.
The idiom 'in Scherben liegen' (to lie in shards) is often used metaphorically. It means that something is destroyed or ruined, for example a plan, a hope, or a relationship.
Nach dem Streit lag ihre Freundschaft in Scherben.
After the argument, their friendship lay in ruins.
There is the well-known saying 'Scherben bringen Glück' (shards bring good luck). People often say it, sometimes jokingly, when something made of glass or porcelain breaks.
Oh nein, mein Lieblingsteller! Na ja, Scherben bringen Glück.
Oh no, my favorite plate! Well, broken glass brings good luck.
fragment
Fragment and Scherbe can both refer to a surviving piece of a broken object. Scherbe is especially used for glass, ceramics, porcelain, or clay and emphasizes the material form. Fragment is more general and often sounds more technical in scientific, artistic, or literary contexts.
Neben der Ausgrabungsstelle lag eine kleine Scherbe der antiken Vase.
A small shard from the ancient vase lay beside the excavation site.
Das Museum beschreibt das gefundene Fragment einer antiken Vase in seinem Katalog.
The museum describes the fragment of an ancient vase that was found in its catalog.
