Definition
破灭 (pò miè) is used only for abstract things like hopes, dreams, illusions being shattered or destroyed — it is intransitive and describes a state of collapse. Unlike 毁灭 (huǐ miè, to annihilate completely, can be concrete) or 粉碎 (fěn suì, to smash physically or actively break down plans), 破灭 cannot be applied to physical objects.
verb
to be shatteredto be annihilated (of hopes, illusions, dreams, etc.)
Examples
- 破灭。Tā de xīwàng chèdǐ pò miè le.His hopes were completely shattered.
- ，破灭。Jīngguò zhè cì shībài, tā de huànxiǎng wánquán pò miè.After this failure, his illusions were completely shattered.
- 破灭。Zhànzhēng ràng wúshù jiātíng de mèngxiǎng pò miè.The war shattered countless families' dreams.
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