xiāo miè
perish; die out; annihilate
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我们必须消灭贫困。
Wǒmen bìxū xiāomiè pínkùn.
We must eliminate poverty.
这种疾病已经被消灭了。
Zhè zhǒng jíbìng yǐjīng bèi xiāomiè le.
This disease has been eliminated.
我们要消灭一切害虫。
Wǒmen yào xiāomiè yīqiè hàichóng.
We must eliminate all pests.
消灭 (xiāomiè)
eliminate
铲除 (chǎnchú)
eradicate
产生 (chǎnshēng)
produce
保存 (bǎocún)
preserve
The Chinese word 消灭 (xiāomiè) is composed of two characters: 消 (xiāo) and 灭 (miè). The character 消 originally meant "to melt" or "to dissolve", and was often used in the context of snow or ice melting. Over time, its meaning expanded to include "to disappear", "to vanish", or "to be extinguished". The character 灭 originally meant "to put out a fire" or "to extinguish a flame". It was also used in the sense of "to destroy" or "to annihilate". When combined, the two characters 消灭 form a compound word that means "to eliminate", "to eradicate", or "to wipe out". This word is often used in a negative sense, to describe the destruction of something harmful or undesirable. For example, it can be used to describe the elimination of a disease, the eradication of poverty, or the wiping out of an enemy force.
