灭

滅
miè
#951 most
frequent character
destroy, extinguish, exterminate
verb

Character breakdown

Source: Make Me a Hanzi.

灭 has 火 fire with 一 over it. The 一 is not the word 'one'; it stands for something covering the fire, giving the first meaning to put out a flame. Later it grew to exterminate.

灭 as a component in other characters

picture1 character
烕

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Example Sentences

我用水把火灭了。
wǒ yòngshuǐ bǎ huǒ miè le 。
I extinguished the fire with water.
这场战争摧毁了许多城市，几乎把他们完全灭绝了。
zhè cháng zhànzhēng cuīhuǐ le xǔduō chéngshì ， jīhū bǎ tāmen wánquán mièjué le 。
This war destroyed many cities, almost exterminating them completely.
请及时灭掉这个不必要的程序。
qǐng jíshí mièdiào zhègè bùbìyào de chéngxù 。
Please promptly put out this unnecessary program.

Words with similar meanings

消灭xiāomiè
eliminate
消灭 (xiāomiè) implies complete removal or eradication, similar to 灭 but can be more general.
扑灭pūmiè
extinguish
扑灭 (pūmiè) specifically refers to putting out fires or extinguishing flames.

Words Starting With 灭

灭亡miè wáng
to be destroyed; to become extinct; to perish; to die out; to destroy; to exterminate

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