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销毁 (xiāo huǐ) — to destroy (by melting or burning); to obliterate

Definition

销毁 emphasizes destroying by burning, melting, or chemical means — for documents, weapons, toxic waste. Compared with 销毁, 烧毁 is specifically by fire, while 毁灭 and 摧毁 stress total ruin of things or buildings.

verb
to destroy (by melting or burning)to obliterate

Examples

  • 销毁。
    Zhèng fǔ xià lìng xiāo huǐ suǒ yǒu fēi fǎ wǔ qì.
    The government ordered the destruction of all illegal weapons.
  • 销毁。
    Gōng sī jué dìng xiāo huǐ zhè pī bù hé gé de chǎn pǐn.
    The company decided to destroy this batch of substandard products.
  • 销毁。
    Tā men yòng gāo wēn xiāo huǐ le zhè xiē yǒu dú fèi wù.
    They used high temperature to destroy these toxic wastes.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

销xiāomelt/destroy
毁huǐruin/destroy

The sense covers obliterating by melting or burning, with 销 and 毁 both expressing destruction.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 銷; 销 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
金金jīn
Sound part声符shēngfú
肖
肖xiào銷xiāo
Same sound today

The traditional form 銷 pairs 金 (metal) with 肖 as a sound part; simplified 销 is a later shorthand, and its parts are not historical components.

Open 销 →

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
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6Change & Process

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