Meaning of 毁
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to destroy; to ruin
- to defame; to slander
- to destroy by fire
- variant of 毀|毁[hui3]
- to defame
- to slander
How to use 毁
毁 (huǐ) is a formal, written-style verb that usually appears in compounds like 毁坏 (huǐhuài), 摧毁 (cuīhuǐ), and 烧毁 (shāohuǐ). It can describe physical destruction or ruining something abstract like a reputation or a future. Example: 这场大火烧毁了整座房子。(Zhè chǎng dàhuǒ shāohuǐ le zhěng zuò fángzi.) This fire burned down the whole house.
Picture 毁 (huǐ) as something being broken apart: the right side 殳 looks like a hand holding a weapon striking down. When you see that striking hand, think of smashing and ruining things.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 毁 (huǐ, third tone) with 悔 (huǐ, to regret), which sounds the same but has the heart radical 忄. Also, 毁 rarely stands alone in speech, so saying 他毁了手机 sounds stiff where 他把手机弄坏了 is more natural.
毁 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
毁 huǐ · to destroy · 13 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 毁.
| 摧毁 | cuīhuǐ | to destroy; to wreck |
| 毁灭 | huǐmiè | to perish; to ruin |
| 烧毁 | shāohuǐ | to destroy (or be destroyed) by fire |
| 销毁 | xiāohuǐ | to destroy (by melting or burning); to obliterate |
| 毁坏 | huǐhuài | to damage; to devastate |
| 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 |
Questions about 毁
What does 毁 mean?
毁 (huǐ) means "to destroy; to ruin; to defame; to slander" and is used as a verb.
How do you write 毁?
毁 is made of 1 character: 毁 (13 strokes). That is 13 strokes in total.
Is 毁 an HSK word?
Yes. 毁 is on the HSK 6 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 毁 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 毁 is written 毀.
What is the difference between 毁 and 坏?
坏 (huài) is the everyday word for broken or bad, as in 手机坏了. 毁 (huǐ) is stronger and more formal, meaning destroyed or ruined beyond repair. Their compound 毁坏 (huǐhuài) means to damage or devastate.
How do you say someone ruined their reputation or future with 毁?
You can use 毁掉 (huǐdiào) or 毁了, as in 一个错误毁了他的前途 (Yí gè cuòwù huǐ le tā de qiántú), one mistake ruined his future. The fixed phrase 毁容 (huǐróng) means to disfigure someone's face, and 诋毁 (dǐhuǐ) means to slander.