After his company failed, it took him years to pick up the pieces and rebuild his life.

pick 是动词，意思是"捡起、拾起"。 up 是副词，表示"向上"或"完全"的意思。 the 是定冠词，特指某个事物。 pieces 是名词 piece 的复数形式，意思是"碎片、部分"。 pick up the pieces 是一个固定短语，字面意思是"捡起碎片"，比喻"收拾残局"或"重整旗鼓"，指在遭遇挫折后重新振作起来。