溃 meaning and stroke order
A flooding river; a military defeat; to break down, to disperse
How to write 溃, stroke by stroke
12 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 溃
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- (bound form) (of floodwaters) to break through a dam or dike
- (bound form) to break through (a military encirclement)
- (bound form) to be routed; to be overrun; to fall to pieces
- (bound form) to fester; to ulcerate
- used in 潰膿|溃脓[hui4 nong2]
- Taiwan pr. [kui4]
How 溃 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Water.
氵 gives the meaning and 贵 hints at the sound.
Radical: 氵 (water), shared by 467 characters on this site.
How to remember 溃
溃 combines water 氵 with 贵 (guì), which hints at the sound. Picture precious, valuable 贵 land being swept away when water 氵 bursts through a dike.
溃 rarely stands alone in modern Chinese and mostly appears in compounds about collapse, defeat, or festering wounds. The most common word is 崩溃 (bēngkuì), used for systems, economies, and people's emotions. Example: 我快崩溃了。(Wǒ kuài bēngkuì le.) I'm about to fall apart.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 溃 (kuì) with 馈 (kuì, as in 反馈 fǎnkuì, feedback), which has the food radical 饣 instead of water 氵. They also sometimes read it as guì because of the 贵 component, but the correct reading is kuì.
Common words with 溃
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 崩溃 | bēngkuì | to collapse; to crumble; to fall apart | HSK 7-9 |
| 击溃 | jīkuì | to defeat; to smash; to rout | |
| 溃疡 | kuìyáng | ulcer; to ulcerate |
溃 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 溃
How many strokes are in 溃?
溃 is written with 12 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 溃 mean?
溃 (kuì) means a flooding river; a military defeat; to break down, to disperse. A common word with it is 崩溃 (bēngkuì), meaning "to collapse; to crumble; to fall apart".
How do you pronounce 溃?
溃 is pronounced kuì, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 溃?
The radical of 溃 is 氵, which carries the idea of "water". Dictionaries list 溃 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 溃?
The traditional form of 溃 is 潰. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 溃 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 溃 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 溃 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What does 崩溃 mean when people say it about themselves?
In everyday speech 崩溃 means being emotionally overwhelmed or at a breaking point, a bit like saying "I'm losing it" in English. It is very common online and in casual conversation, often with a joking tone.
When is 溃 read as huì instead of kuì?
The reading huì is used in the word 溃脓 (huìnóng), meaning to fester or form pus. Even there, many speakers, including those in Taiwan, simply say kuì, so kuì is the safe default.