毁 meaning and stroke order
To destroy; to ruin; to defame; to slander
How to write 毁, stroke by stroke
13 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
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Meaning of 毁
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to destroy; to ruin
- to defame; to slander
- to destroy by fire
- variant of 毀|毁[hui3]
- to defame
- to slander
How 毁 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. A man using a tool 殳 to strike 工 a clay vessel 臼.
Radical: 殳 (tool), shared by 16 characters on this site.
How to remember 毁
Picture a clay vessel 臼 on the left, with 工 below it, and a hand holding a weapon or tool 殳 on the right. Someone strikes the pot with the tool and smashes it, so 毁 (huǐ) means to destroy or ruin.
毁 (huǐ) rarely stands alone in modern speech. It usually appears in compounds like 毁坏 (huǐhuài), 摧毁 (cuīhuǐ), or after a verb of method such as 烧毁 (shāohuǐ) or 炸毁 (zhàhuǐ). Example: 大火烧毁了整栋楼。(Dàhuǒ shāohuǐ le zhěng dòng lóu.) The fire destroyed the whole building.
Common mistake: Learners often write the top left as 白 or 日 instead of 臼, which has an open middle stroke pattern. Also do not confuse 毁 (huǐ, destroy) with 悔 (huǐ, regret). They share the same sound and tone but have completely different meanings.
Common words with 毁
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 摧毁 | cuīhuǐ | to destroy; to wreck | HSK 7-9 |
| 毁灭 | huǐmiè | to perish; to ruin | HSK 7-9 |
| 烧毁 | shāohuǐ | to destroy (or be destroyed) by fire | HSK 7-9 |
| 销毁 | xiāohuǐ | to destroy (by melting or burning); to obliterate | HSK 7-9 |
| 毁坏 | huǐhuài | to damage; to devastate | HSK 7-9 |
| 毁掉 | huǐdiào | to destroy | |
| 坠毁 | zhuìhuǐ | (of an airplane etc) to fall to the ground and crash | |
| 炸毁 | zhàhuǐ | to blow up; to destroy with explosives | |
| 毁灭性 | huǐmièxìng | destructive; devastating | |
| 自毁 | zìhuǐ | to destroy one's (reputation etc); (of a device etc) to self-destruct | |
| 损毁 | sǔnhuǐ | to damage; to wreck; to destroy | |
| 诋毁 | dǐhuǐ | to vilify; to slander | |
| 捣毁 | dǎohuǐ | to destroy; to smash | |
| 撞毁 | zhuànghuǐ | to smash |
毁 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 毁
Learning 毁 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 毁
How many strokes are in 毁?
毁 is written with 13 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 毁 mean?
毁 (huǐ) means to destroy; to ruin; to defame; to slander. A common word with it is 摧毁 (cuīhuǐ), meaning "to destroy; to wreck".
How do you pronounce 毁?
毁 is pronounced huǐ, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 毁?
The radical of 毁 is 殳, which carries the idea of "tool". Dictionaries list 毁 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 毁?
The traditional form of 毁 is 毀, 燬 and 譭. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 毁 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 毁 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 毁 is part of the HSK 6 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 毁 and 坏?
坏 (huài) is everyday and broad, meaning bad or broken, as in 手机坏了 (my phone is broken). 毁 (huǐ) is stronger and more formal. It suggests serious or total destruction, so 毁了 sounds much more dramatic than 坏了.
How is 毁 used to mean slander?
This sense appears mainly in the word 诋毁 (dǐhuǐ), to slander or vilify, and in 毁谤 (huǐbàng), to defame. In these words the target is a person's reputation instead of a physical object.