HanziGuru.灭 · miè
灭
miè[mie4]Tone 4

to extinguish, wipe out

HSK 6
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滅
Guru Deep Dive

English · to extinguish, wipe out

Cached lesson
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Topology:Top-bottom
Strokes:5
Writing Balance Rule: The top cover (火 compressed to 巛/dot structure or similar top variant) should sit snugly and broadly over the bottom container (戉).
Simplification Logic: The traditional form 滅 and simplified form 灭 have minor variations in stroke connection, but both maintain the core top-bottom stacking of 'fire/cover' and 'weapon/destruction'.
1. Meaning

to extinguish or put out (a fire)

to go out (of a fire, light, etc.)to exterminate, wipe out, or destroy completelyto drown or submerge
VerbNeutral#destruction#safety#action#fire control
Sample Usage
  • 请把蜡烛灭了。
    Qǐng bǎ làzhú miè le.
    Please blow out the candle.
  • 森林火灾终于被扑灭了。
    Sēnlín huǒzāi zhōngyú bèi pūmiè le.
    The forest fire was finally put out.
2. Sound
/[mjɛ⁵¹]/Tone: 51
灭
mièmie4
++
`(51)
=miè
Initial Consonant
m
Type: Bilabial Nasal
Sounds like: m sound as in 'mother'
Unaspirated
Airflow Tactile Test: Nasal resonance through nostrils.
Tongue & Mouth Position: Lips gently pressed together for the bilabial nasal [m], then opening wide into the front unrounded [ɛ].
Final Rhyme
ie
Vowel Group: -e vowel group
Sounds like: rhymes with the 'ye' in 'yes'
Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'yeh'.
Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.
Tone
T4 (51)
4th Tone (High-Falling)
Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 4 starts high and plunges sharply to the bottom, matching an angry command or a definitive 'No!'
👂
Listening trap: Confusing the vowel sound [-ie/-iɛ] with [-ian] or [-iu]. Make sure to keep it clean as a short front vowel.
👋
Physical Tone Gesture: A decisive downward chop with the hand, mimicking a falling cliff or pressing a fire extinguisher button straight down.
3. Writing

Topology: Top-bottom · Strokes: 5 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: The top cover (火 compressed to 巛/dot structure or similar top variant) should sit snugly and broadly over the bottom container (戉).

Simplification Logic: The traditional form 滅 and simplified form 灭 have minor variations in stroke connection, but both maintain the core top-bottom stacking of 'fire/cover' and 'weapon/destruction'.

4. Components

Radical 水 · Water Radical (implied through context of extinguishing, though top is fire/cover) (water or destruction elements)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 火 (Indicates fire or heat being acted upon)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 戉 (original sound: miè)

A cover or fire (top) placed over a battleaxe or boundary tool (戉) to crush or put something out completely.

  • 一 Horizontal stroke or cover on top
  • 火 Fire element
  • 戉 Axe/weapon element providing sound and concept of cutting off
5. History
Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Originally combined elements indicating water or a cover over a fire or object to suppress it, later stabilized with 戉 as the phonetic phonetic bearer.

Semantic Evolution: From covering or suppressing a flame to general extinguishing of fires, light, and eventually total extermination of enemies or entities.

  • Often used in classical and modern political or military contexts to mean 'to wipe out a state or family line'.
6. Sinosphere
🇯🇵
Kanji (Japanese)
On: メツ (metsu) / Kun: ほろ.びる (horobiru), ほろ.ぼす (horobosu)
🇰🇷
Hanja (Korean)
멸
7. Memory
Vivid Mnemonic Story

You use a flat cover (top stroke) to smother a roaring fire (火), chopping it down with an axe (戉) to EXTINGUISH it completely.

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
灭
mièextinguishbase form
蔑
mièdespise, slightHas grass/plant (艹) on top instead of a flat cover.
Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)
床(chuáng)
床 means bed and has a shelter roof (广) on top, whereas 灭 has a fire/cover element.
肉(ròu)
肉 means meat and has internal enclosure lines, whereas 灭 has the axe/weapon base 戉.
8. Mastery
Active Recall Challenge
消防员迅速把大火给___了。
Clue: miè
Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing 灭 (miè) with 没 (méi). Remember that 灭 has an axe-like bottom (戉) and deals with extinguishing, whereas 没 deals with water and non-existence.

Memory Prompts
Recognition: When you see the character 灭, what core action does it describe?
Production: How do you write the character for 'to extinguish or wipe out' (miè)?
Real-World Video Context

Watch authentic native speakers pronounce and explain this word in real-world YouTube videos.

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