毁 huǐ to damage
to damage; to ruin; to slander; to destroy
How to remember 毁: 臼 mortar + 工 work + 殳 strike = to damage. Grandma's old stone mortar sits on the work bench, and the boy strikes the peppercorns so hard that he manages to damage it.
Component breakdown
毁 = 𬛸 + 殳 strike
- 𬛸
- 臼 mortar
- 工 work
- 殳 strike
Grandma's old stone mortar sits on the work bench, and the boy strikes the peppercorns so hard that he manages to damage it.
How it is used
- To destroy or ruin - the general morpheme: 摧毁 (cuīhuǐ) to demolish, 毁灭 (huǐmiè) to annihilate, 烧毁 (shāohuǐ) to burn down, 销毁 (xiāohuǐ) to destroy (documents/evidence).
- Also 毁 someone's reputation: 诋毁 (dǐhuǐ) to slander; 毁约 (huǐyuē) to break a contract.