毁损 (huǐ sǔn) — to damage; to impair

Definition

verb
to damageto impair

Examples

  • 毁损。
    Zhè cì dì zhèn zào chéng le dà liàng fáng wū huǐ sǔn.
    The earthquake severely damaged many houses.
  • 毁损。
    Cháng qī áo yè huì huǐ sǔn shēn tǐ jiàn kāng.
    Staying up late over a long period can impair your health.
  • 毁损。
    Tā de míng yù shòu dào le yán zhòng huǐ sǔn.
    His reputation was severely damaged.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

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

毁huǐdamage
损sǔnimpair

毁 and 损 both mean harm, so the word stresses damaging or impairing something.

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.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 損; 损 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
手手shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
員
員yuán損sǔn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 損 pairs 手 (hand) with 員 as a sound part; the simplified 损 is a later shorthand, so its visible parts are not the original components.

Open 损 →

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