溃 (huì) — (bound form) to burst (dam, levee); (bound form) to be routed, to collapse (military); (bound form) to fester, to ulcerate (medical)
Definition
溃 (huì) is a bound morph meaning 'to burst / collapse / fester' — it only appears inside compounds like 溃败, 溃烂, 决溃, never alone.
bound form
to burst (dam, levee)to be routedto collapse (military)to festerto ulcerate (medical)
Examples
- 溃。Hóng shuǐ bǎ dà bà chōng huì le.The flood burst the dam.
- 。Dí jūn quán xiàn huì bài.The enemy forces were routed across the entire front.
- ，。Shāng kǒu yǐ jīng huì làn, xū yào mǎ shàng chǔ lǐ.The wound has already festered and needs immediate treatment.
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 潰; 溃 is its simplified writing.
Sound part声符shēngfú
貴
貴guì潰kuì
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.
The traditional form 潰 pairs 氵 (water) with 貴 for sound; the simplified 溃 is a shorthand, and its right side is not the old sound part.
Appears in
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