灭 (miè) — to extinguish, to put out (a fire, light, etc.); to go out (of a fire, light); to exterminate, to wipe out (pests, enemies, etc.)
Definition
灭 covers both senses: putting out a fire/light and wiping out enemies or pests. Compared to the compound verbs 扑灭 and 熄灭, 灭 is the plain base verb you'll use alone or as a bound root (as in 灭亡, 灭绝).
verb
to extinguishto put out (a fire, light, etc.)to go out (of a fire, light)to exterminateto wipe out (pests, enemies, etc.)
Easily confused
Examples
- 灭。Qǐng bǎ dēng miè le.Please turn off the light.
- 灭。Tā men miè diào le suǒ yǒu de dí rén.They wiped out all the enemies.
- 灭。Lú zi lǐ de huǒ màn màn miè le.The fire in the stove slowly went out.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.
This origin belongs to the traditional form 滅; 灭 is its simplified writing.
Sound part声符shēngfú
烕
烕miè滅miè
Same sound today
The traditional form 滅 pairs 氵 (water) with 烕 as a sound part to mean extinguish by water; the simplified 灭 is a later shorthand.
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