Chinese word

灭

Pronunciation

Pinyinmiè

Meaning

  • verbput out

Example

他把火灭了。tā bǎ huǒ miè le

He put out the fire.

Illustration for 灭 (put out)

More examples

病毒被消灭了。bìng dú bèi xiāo miè le

The virus was eliminated.

Core concept

A flame, light, or unwanted thing is brought to a complete end, leaving nothing active.

Common phrases

  • 灭火miè huǒ

    put out a fire

  • 消灭xiāo miè

    eliminate

  • 灭亡miè wáng

    perish

Similar words

消灭xiāo miè: Destroy or remove a harmful group, creature, or thing until none remains.
扑灭pū miè: Stop a fire from burning by actively putting it out.
熄灭xī miè: Become fully extinguished and leave an area dark.
关guān: Switch off the power to a device or machine so it stops running.

Definition in Chinese

使火或光停止燃烧或发亮；使事物完全消失或根除。shǐ huǒ huò guāng tíng zhǐ rán shāo huò fā liàng shǐ shì wù wán quán xiāo shī huò gēn chú

Word origin

灭 (miè, "to extinguish") is the simplified form of a character whose older use centered on extinguishing fire, and that concrete sense extended to complete destruction or eradication.

Usage tips

  • English "turn off" is broader: this verb fits putting out a flame or light and completely eliminating something, while appliance power is normally expressed with a different everyday verb.

Other meanings

  • destroyverb
  • go outverb
  • eradicateverb

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word