破灭

• Pinyin: pò miè
• Hanzi breakdown: 破 = 石 + 皮 (stone + skin — to break); 灭 = 氵 + 火 (water over fire — to extinguish, annihilate)

Meaning

To be shattered; to be dashed; to collapse into nothing. Used for hopes, dreams, illusions, or ideals that are destroyed and cannot be recovered.

Always refers to abstract things — ideals, expectations, dreams (梦想破灭, 希望破灭, 幻想破灭). Not used for physical objects. Carries a sense of irreversibility and finality. Common in literary, journalistic, and psychological contexts.

Examples

1. 父亲的突然离世让她多年精心筹划的出国留学梦想瞬间破灭，她不得不留下来撑起这个风雨飘摇的家。 Her father’s sudden death instantly shattered her carefully planned dream of studying abroad, and she had no choice but to stay and hold the family together through the storm.
2. 投资者对这家独角兽企业寄予厚望，然而随着财务造假丑闻的曝光，一切憧憬都随之破灭。 Investors had high hopes for this unicorn company, but when the financial fraud scandal broke, every expectation collapsed.
3. 长达数年的战争使无数平民对和平生活的渴望一再破灭，心理创伤的阴影难以在短时间内消散。 Years of war have repeatedly crushed countless civilians’ hopes for a peaceful life, and the shadow of psychological trauma is hard to dispel in a short time.

Usage Guide

Context: psychology, narrative, society, personal experience

Tone: negative

Do Say

• 调查显示，越来越多年轻人在现实与期待的落差中经历理想破灭，并陷入持续内耗。(The survey shows that more and more young people are disillusioned by the gap between reality and expectations, and end up trapped in ongoing internal conflict.)
• 当那位曾被奉为商业传奇的创业者最终锒铛入狱时，追随者们心中对颠覆性创新的美好幻想也随之彻底破灭。(When the entrepreneur once venerated as a business legend was finally imprisoned, the beautiful illusions his followers held about disruptive innovation were completely shattered along with him.)

Don't Say

• 破灭 only applies to abstract hopes or ideals — not physical objects; for physical destruction, use 毁灭 or 摧毁; 幻灭 is a close synonym but specifically refers to disillusionment (illusions shattered), while 破灭 is broader

Origin & History

破 (to break apart — 石 stone + 皮 skin) + 灭 (to extinguish, to die out — 水 water + 火 fire → fire quenched by water → annihilation)

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal