灭

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to extinguish or put out; to go out (of a fire etc); to exterminate or wipe out; to drown

Sound it out + =

Formation & memory

Break the character into parts you already know.

Ideographic compound (会意字)

To cover 一 a flame 火

Components 一火

destroy · Heisig RSH #171

火 fire + ceiling

Keyword method from Heisig's Remembering Simplified Hanzi.

The most common words first — learning a character in context makes it stick.

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
自生自灭	zì shēng zì miè	to emerge and perish on its own; to run its course (idiom)
生物大灭绝	shēng wù dà miè jué	great extinction of species
半明不灭	bàn míng bù miè	dull (lamplight)
杀人灭口	shā rén miè kǒu	(idiom) to kill sb to prevent them from revealing sth
大义灭亲	dà yì miè qīn	to place righteousness before family (idiom); ready to punish one's own family if justice …
灭绝人性	miè jué rén xìng	(idiom) to be devoid of all humanity; inhuman; bestial
灭火器	miè huǒ qì	fire extinguisher
灭音器	miè yīn qì	muffler (of an internal combustion engine)
苦集灭道	kǔ jí miè dào	the Four Noble Truths (Budd.), namely: all life is suffering 苦[ku3], the cause of sufferin…
不可磨灭	bù kě mó miè	indelible
人不为己，天诛地灭	rén bù wèi jǐ , tiān zhū dì miè	Look out for yourself, or heaven and earth will combine to destroy you.; Every man for him…
大灭绝	dà miè jué	mass extinction
大绝灭	dà jué miè	mass extinction
灭国	miè guó	to destroy a country; to wipe a nation off the map
生灭	shēng miè	life and death
灭绝种族	miè jué zhǒng zú	to commit genocide
种族灭绝	zhǒng zú miè jué	genocide
灭口	miè kǒu	to kill sb to prevent them from divulging a secret; to silence sb
灭门	miè mén	to exterminate an entire family
灰飞烟灭	huī fēi yān miè	lit. scattered ashes and dispersed smoke (idiom); fig. to be annihilated; to vanish in a p…