烧毁

• Pinyin: shāo huǐ
• Hanzi breakdown: 烧 = 火 + 尧 (burn); 毁 = 工 + 土 + 殳 (destroy, ruin)

Meaning

To burn down; to destroy by fire. Indicates complete destruction through burning.

Stronger than 烧坏 (damaged by fire). Implies total destruction. Used in historical accounts, disaster reporting, and legal/insurance contexts. Can apply to buildings, documents, or equipment.

Examples

1. 古代图书馆中大量珍贵典籍在战火中烧毁。 A large number of precious ancient texts in the library were destroyed in the flames of war.
2. 电气故障导致仓库被烧毁，损失惨重。 An electrical malfunction caused the warehouse to burn down, resulting in heavy losses.
3. 历史文物在那场大火中遭到烧毁，令人痛心。 Historical artifacts were destroyed in that fire, which is heartbreaking.

Usage Guide

Context: disasters, history, news

Tone: serious

Do Say

• 那栋百年老宅在一场大火中被彻底烧毁。(The century-old mansion was completely destroyed in a fire.)
• 为了防止机密外泄，相关文件已被烧毁。(To prevent confidential information from leaking, the relevant documents were burned.)

Don't Say

• 用烧毁形容轻微烧焦 — use 烧焦 for slight burning and 烧坏 for partial damage

Origin & History

烧 (burn) + 毁 (destroy) — to burn and destroy completely

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal