Does くだく mean “destroy”? What does いい mean at the beginning of a line?


![speech bubble 1](https://i.stack.imgur.com/gGesN.jpg) ![speech bubble
2](https://i.stack.imgur.com/RdLOR.jpg)

Would the following be a good translation of the text in the above two speech
bubbles?

> " _Everything in this universe is composed of atoms. Destroying something is
> equivalent to destroying the atoms that compose it_ "

Also, I'm especially interested in knowing if the Japanese text is implying
that atoms are completely destroyed/annihilated or if the atoms are separated
or pulverized (but not literally/completely destroyed). I'm having troubles on
my own... =/

* * *

Here is a transcription of the two speech bubbles, in case you can't see the
images:

> 「この  
>  大宇宙にあるもの  
>  すべてが  
>  原子でできている  
>  のよ」
>
> 「いい 破壊する  
>  ということの  
>  根本は 原子を  
>  くだく  
>  ということなの」




The translation of the first sentence sounds fine.

For the second one, "destroy" may be too general for 「くだく」 and "be equivalent
to" sounds a little bit different to 「…の根本｛こんぽん｝は」. My suggestion is something
like "The essence of destroying something is shattering the atoms that compose
it." (I'm not a native English speaker, the wording may be awkward...)

Since it's literally saying "shattering the atoms", i.e.「原子｛げんし｝をくだく」, not
"shattering something into atoms", 「原子｛げんし｝`に`くだく」as in 「粉々｛こなごな｝`に`くだく」 and
「微塵｛みじん｝`に`くだく」 may be more appropriate for the "atoms are separated" reading.

As to the 「いい」 that 非回答者 has pointed out, I guess it's something like
"understand?" or "all right?" used when a teacher is explaining something to
his/her student(s) or in other similar circumstances.

