Chinese word

毁

Pronunciation

Pinyinhuǐ

Meaning

  • verbdestroy

Example

那栋房子被风暴毁了。nà dòng fáng zi bèi fēng bào huǐ le

That house was destroyed by the storm.

Illustration for 毁 (destroy)

More examples

他的一句谎话毁了多年的信任。tā de yí jù huǎng huà huǐ le duō nián de xìn rèn

One of his lies ruined years of trust.

Core concept

A force breaks something so thoroughly that its form or function can no longer be restored.

Common phrases

  • 毁掉证据huǐ diào zhèng jù

    destroy evidence

  • 毁坏财物huǐ huài cái wù

    destroy property

  • 自毁前程zì huǐ qián chéng

    ruin one's own prospects

Similar words

破坏pò huài: Damages the structure or function of something, leaving it broken or unable to work properly.
毁灭huǐ miè: Destroys something completely, leaving nothing usable or remaining.
损坏sǔn huài: Causes part of an object to break or its performance to decline.
摧毁cuī huǐ: Breaks something apart quickly with great force, making it lose its function.

Definition in Chinese

使某物遭到损害或破坏，造成结构、形状或功能受到严重破坏且难以恢复。shǐ mǒu wù zāo dào sǔn hài huò pò huài zào chéng jié gòu xíng zhuàng huò gōng néng shòu dào yán zhòng pò huài qiě nán yǐ huī fù

Word origin

毁 (huǐ, "destroy") is the simplified form of 毀 (huǐ, "destroy"), an older word for damaging or breaking something.

Usage tips

  • In everyday Chinese, this verb can take an abstract object such as a reputation, plan, or hope, so it extends beyond physical buildings and tools.

Other meanings

  • ruinverb
  • wipe outverb

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word