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摧毁 (cuī huǐ) — to destroy, to wreck

Definition

摧毁 emphasizes a violent, forceful destruction — physical things or abstract hopes, as the examples show. Stronger than 破坏 and 毁坏 (general damage); 毁灭 is more total, 摧残 targets body or spirit.

verb
to destroyto wreck

Examples

  • 摧毁。
    Yì chǎng dà huǒ cuī huǐ le zhěng piàn sēn lín.
    A big fire destroyed the entire forest.
  • 摧毁。
    Zhè cì dǎ jī cuī huǐ le tā suǒ yǒu de xī wàng.
    This blow destroyed all his hope.
  • 摧毁。
    Dí jūn yòng dǎo dàn cuī huǐ le nà zuò qiáo liáng.
    The enemy destroyed that bridge with missiles.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

摧cuīdestroy
毁huǐwreck

摧 'destroy' and 毁 'wreck' reinforce each other to mean complete destruction.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
扌Written in full as手shǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
崔
崔cuī摧cuī
Same sound today

摧 uses 扌, the hand form, to mark an action done with the hand, and 崔 to give its sound.

Open 摧 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 毀; 毁 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 毀 combines 臼 (cracked skull), 工 (tool), and 殳 (hand action) as a man being hit in the head; this explanation is about 毀, not the simplified 毁.

Open 毁 →
Appears in
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