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焚毁 (fén huǐ) — to burn down, to destroy by fire

Definition

焚毁 is a formal written verb meaning 'destroy completely by fire,' often used for buildings, documents, or contraband. Stronger and more literary than everyday 烧掉 — it emphasizes total destruction rather than the act of burning itself.

verb
to burn downto destroy by fire

Examples

  • 焚毁。
    Yì chǎng dà huǒ bǎ zhěng dòng dà lóu fén huǐ le.
    A big fire burned down the entire building.
  • 焚毁。
    Hěn duō zhòng yào wén jiàn zài zhàn zhēng zhōng bèi fén huǐ le.
    Many important documents were burned down in the war.
  • 焚毁。
    Tā men jué dìng bǎ wéi jìn pǐn quán bù fén huǐ.
    They decided to burn down all the contraband.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
补充bǔchōngVerb + complement

An action followed by its result or direction.

焚fénburn
毁huǐruin

“焚” means burn and “毁” means ruin, so burning leads to destruction.

Characters in this word

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

焚 combines 林 (trees) and 火 (fire) to show trees burning.

Open 焚 →

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
Change & ProcessSafety & Danger

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