To crumble to dust; disintegrate.

弄碎分解成粉末；

youdao

Though empires crumble to dust, and centuries are lost in shadows, the white marble still sighs to the stars, "I remember."

尽管帝国皇权已经化为齑粉，历史已经湮没无闻，而那白色的大理石却依然向满天的繁星叹息说：“我记得！”

youdao

Indeed, the possibility that they might crumble to dust seems to be less of a concern than how nations will cope with the rise of so-called "megacities, " cities with populations of more than 10 million.

FORBES: Magazine Article