歼灭

• Pinyin: jiān miè
• Hanzi breakdown: 歼 = 歺 + 韱 (remnants + thin/reduce — to wipe out, leaving nothing); 灭 = 氵+ 火 suppressed (water/pressing down extinguishing fire — to destroy completely)

Meaning

To annihilate; to wipe out; to destroy completely; to eliminate entirely. A military term for the complete destruction of an opposing force.

Primarily a military and formal term. Implies total destruction with no remnant surviving. Used in historical accounts, military strategy discussions, and news reports. By extension, can describe the total elimination of a threat or problem in formal contexts.

Examples

1. 经过三天三夜的激烈战斗，守军终于将入侵之敌全部歼灭。 After three days and nights of fierce fighting, the defenders finally wiped out all the invading forces.
2. 这场战役以最小的代价歼灭了敌军主力，被载入军事史册。 This battle destroyed the enemy’s main force at minimal cost and was recorded in military history.
3. 联合国维和部队协助当地政府歼灭了盘踞多年的武装割据力量。 UN peacekeeping forces assisted the local government in eliminating armed separatist groups that had been entrenched for years.

Usage Guide

Context: military history, news reports, strategy, counter-terrorism

Tone: serious

Do Say

• 歼灭战要一举摧毁敌方有生力量，消耗战则靠持续对抗逐步削弱其战力。(An annihilation battle aims to destroy the enemy's forces in one strike, while an attrition battle gradually weakens its combat power through sustained fighting.)
• 特种部队封锁逃路后迅速歼灭武装团伙，成功解救了人质。(After sealing off the escape routes, the special forces quickly wiped out the armed gang and successfully rescued the hostages.)

Don't Say

• 歼灭 is a serious military term implying total destruction. In civilian contexts, do not use it to describe ordinary competition or defeating rivals — use 淘汰 (to eliminate in a competition) or 击败 (to defeat). 歼灭 always carries a martial and terminal connotation.

Origin & History

歼 (to annihilate; to wipe out — 歺 bones/remnants + 韱 shallots/thin; to reduce to nothing) + 灭 (to extinguish; to destroy — 火 fire + 一 horizontal bar smothering the fire)

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal