Word

灭亡 (miè wáng) — Chinese word meaning

HSK 7

Meaning of 灭亡

动 dòng verb

to perish, to be destroyed

这个古老的文明最终灭亡了。

zhè ge gǔ lǎo de wén míng zuì zhōng miè wáng le

This ancient civilization eventually perished.

Word breakdown

灭 miè — to extinguish, to destroy

1 扑灭 pū miè — extinguish, put out HSK 6
- 扑 to strike at, rush toward (the action of attacking the fire)
- 灭 to extinguish, eliminate (the result of putting out)
Example

消防员很快就扑灭了火灾。

xiāo fáng yuán hěn kuài jiù pū miè le huǒ zāi

The firefighters quickly extinguished the fire.
2 消灭 xiāo miè — to eliminate, to exterminate, to annihilate HSK 6
- 消 to dissolve, to make disappear
- 灭 to extinguish, to destroy completely
Example

科学家希望消灭这种疾病。

kē xué jiā xī wàng xiāo miè zhè zhǒng jí bìng

Scientists hope to eliminate this disease.
3 歼灭 jiān miè — annihilate HSK 7
- 歼 annihilate, destroy (military sense of total destruction)
- 灭 extinguish, eliminate (reinforces complete eradication)
Example

军队歼灭了敌人的主力部队。

jūn duì jiān miè le dí rén de zhǔ lì bù duì

The army annihilated the enemy's main forces.
4 毁灭 huǐ miè — destroy HSK 7
- 毁 damage, ruin
- 灭 extinguish, eliminate
Example

战争毁灭了整个城市。

zhàn zhēng huǐ miè le zhěng gè chéng shì

War destroyed the entire city.
5 灭绝 miè jué — to become extinct HSK 7
- 灭 to extinguish, to destroy
- 绝 to cut off completely, to exhaust
Example

我们必须保护濒危物种，防止它们灭绝。

wǒ men bì xū bǎo hù bīn wēi wù zhǒng fáng zhǐ tā men miè jué

We must protect endangered species to prevent them from becoming extinct.

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6 熄灭 xī miè — to extinguish; to go out HSK 7
- 熄 to put out (fire/light)
- 灭 to extinguish completely
Example

请熄灭香烟。

qǐng xī miè xiāng yān

Please extinguish your cigarette.
7 破灭 pò miè — to be shattered HSK 7
- 破 break, shatter
- 灭 extinguish, perish
Example

他的梦想破灭了。

tā de mèng xiǎng pò miè le

His dreams were shattered.

亡 wáng — to perish, to die out

1 伤亡 shāng wáng — casualties HSK 6
- 伤 injured, wounded
- 亡 dead, deceased
Example

这次事故没有造成人员伤亡。

zhè cì shì gù méi yǒu zào chéng rén yuán shāng wáng

This accident caused no casualties.
2 死亡 sǐ wáng — to die HSK 6
- 死 die, death - the core concept of dying
- 亡 perish, deceased - reinforces and formalizes the meaning of death
Example

每年有很多人死亡于交通事故。

měi nián yǒu hěn duō rén sǐ wáng yú jiāo tōng shì gù

Many people die in traffic accidents every year.
3 亡羊补牢 wáng yáng bǔ láo — better late than never; take corrective action after suffering a loss HSK 7
- 亡 lose, perish (refers to the sheep being lost)
- 羊 sheep (the animal that was lost)
- 补 repair, mend, fix
- 牢 pen, enclosure (the sheep pen that needs fixing)
Example

虽然考试失败了，但现在开始努力学习，亡羊补牢，为时不晚。

suī rán kǎo shì shī bài le dàn xiàn zài kāi shǐ nǔ lì xué xí wáng yáng bǔ láo wéi shí bù wǎn

Although I failed the exam, if I start studying hard now, it's better late than never.
4 逃亡 táo wáng — to flee; to be on the run HSK 7
- 逃 to escape; to run away
- 亡 to be lost; to be gone (as a fugitive)
Example

罪犯逃亡了三年。

zuì fàn táo wáng le sān nián

The criminal was on the run for three years.

Structure & writing

1 灭 miè — go out; stop burning or shining (opposite of 着)

灭 is not used as a component in any other character.

consists of

1.1 一 yī — the smallest positive integer; one (①used before a measure word ②used before a noun ③indicates a single action or a brief/tentative action)

一 is a component in 58 characters

HSK 1