Chinese word

摧毁

Pronunciation

Pinyincuī huǐ

Meaning

  • verbdestroy

Example

地震把那座房子摧毁了。dì zhèn bǎ nà zuò fáng zi cuī huǐ le

The earthquake destroyed that house.

Illustration for 摧毁 (destroy)

More examples

为了逃避调查，他摧毁了关键证据。wèi le táo bì diào chá tā cuī huǐ le guān jiàn zhèng jù

To evade the investigation, he destroyed the key evidence.

Core concept

A powerful force tears a thing apart and leaves it beyond repair.

Common phrases

  • 摧毁证据cuī huǐ zhèng jù

    destroy evidence

  • 摧毁防线cuī huǐ fáng xiàn

    destroy the defense line

  • 彻底摧毁敌方阵地chè dǐ cuī huǐ dí fāng zhèn dì

    completely destroy enemy positions

Similar words

破坏pò huài: To break or damage something until it no longer works or keeps its original shape.
毁灭huǐ miè: To eliminate something completely and permanently.
破灭pò miè: To shatter a hope or plan by ending its chance of success.
摧残cuī cán: To inflict severe, lasting harm on a person's or living thing's body or mind.

Definition in Chinese

用强大的力量或手段使某物或某种状态遭到彻底破坏，强调毁灭性和难以恢复。yòng qiáng dà de lì liàng huò shǒu duàn shǐ mǒu wù huò móu zhǒng zhuàng tài zāo dào chè dǐ pò huài qiáng diào huǐ miè xìng hé nán yǐ huī fù

Word origin

摧 (cuī, "to crush") + 毁 (huǐ, "to ruin") combine two forceful ideas of breaking something down into a compound meaning total destruction.

Usage tips

  • In everyday conversation, this verb sounds strong and somewhat formal, so it fits news reports and serious situations better than casual mishaps.

Other meanings

  • devastateverb
  • crushverb
  • shatterverb

Opposites

Word lists with this word