灭 miè — extinguish, destroy · English

灭

miè

extinguish, destroy

At a glance · 灭

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Evolution of the glyph

Five stages, from a sketch of the real object to regular script — tap a stage, drag the timeline, or play the animation.

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seen
Oracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCE
Seal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCE
Clerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CE
Regular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seenOracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCESeal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCEClerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CERegular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

⚠ Some ancient forms are not attested：oracle bone form、seal script form。No excavated oracle bone / seal artifact is attested for this character yet; we leave it blank rather than fabricate.

甲骨文、金文象以物压灭火焰之形，会意熄灭火。小篆作「滅」从水烕声；简化会意作「灭」（一覆火）。

What the sketch shows

Origins & notes

「灭」本指火熄，引申为消亡、消灭。

Structure

会意字，从一（覆）从火，象扑灭之形；繁体从水。

At a glance

Pinyinmiè

Radical火

Strokes5

UnicodeU+706D

Character type会意

Theme动作

Six languages, one character

Each page offers hreflang versions; switching language keeps the glyphs and meanings aligned.

English extinguish, destroy To extinguish or wipe out.

Français éteindre, détruire Éteindre ou anéantir.

Español extinguir, destruir Apagar o destruir.

العربية يطفئ، يمحو يُطفئ النار أو يمحو.

Русский гасить, уничтожать Гасить или уничтожать.

Common words

消灭xiāo mièeliminate
灭mièextinguish

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