磨灭 (mó miè) — to wear away, to obliterate (literally or figur… | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Literally 'to grind away', 磨灭 (mómiè) means to obliterate or wear down — used for traces, memories, or impressions being erased, not people or physical objects.

verb

to wear awayto obliterate (literally or figuratively)

Examples

磨灭。
Shí jiān huì mó miè yí qiè jì yì.
Time will obliterate all memories.
磨灭。
Fēng yǔ màn màn mó miè le shí tou shàng de zì.
Wind and rain slowly wore away the characters on the stone.
磨灭。
Zhè xiē jīng lì yǒng yuǎn bú huì bèi mó miè.
These experiences will never be obliterated.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

补充bǔchōngVerb + complement

An action followed by its result or direction.

灭mièdestroy

磨 (wearing) produces 灭 (destruction), so marks wear away or are obliterated.

Characters in this word

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

石石shírock

Sound part声符shēngfú

靡

靡mí磨mó

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

磨 combines 石, showing rock, with 靡 for the sound.

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 滅; 灭 is its simplified writing.

氵烕滅

Meaning part形符xíngfú

氵Written in full as水shuǐwater

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.

Appears in

Change & Process

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