毁容 (huǐ róng) — to disfigure (someone's face)

Definition

毁容 (huǐ róng) means to permanently damage or scar someone's face. It is a formal, serious term used in news, law, and medical contexts — not casual everyday speech.

verb

to disfigure (someone's face)

Examples

，。
Tā bèi rén huǐ le róng, xiàn zài bù gǎn chū mén.
He was disfigured by someone and now doesn't dare go out.
毁容。
Nà chǎng chē huò ràng tā huǐ róng le.
That car accident disfigured her.
毁容。
Jǐng fāng zhèng zài diào chá yì qǐ huǐ róng àn jiàn.
The police are investigating a disfigurement case.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

毁huǐdestroy

容róngface; appearance

毁 means to ruin, and 容 is the face or appearance, giving 'ruin the face'.

Characters in this word

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.

臼臼jiùcracked skull
工工gōngtool
殳殳shūhand action

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 →

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

宀宀mián

Sound part声符shēngfú

公

公gōng容róng

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In 容, the 宀 (roof) part points to holding or containing, and 公 gives the sound.

Open 容 →

Appears in

Injury & Disability