破灭
pò miè · HSK 7
to be annihilated
💔 破 break + 灭 extinguish = hopes broken and snuffed out
破 — stone 石 + skin/hide 皮
破 is a semantic-phonetic compound: 石 (stone) gives the meaning 'to break, smash,' since stones were used to crack things, while 皮 (pí) supplies the sound. The original sense of breaking stone broadened to mean 'broken,' 'damaged,' or 'to defeat.'
灭 — fire 火 under cover 一
Originally written 烕, showing fire 火 being smothered or extinguished. The modern simplified form 灭 visually depicts a horizontal stroke 一 pressing down on fire 火, capturing the idea of putting out flames. The meaning extended from 'extinguish' to 'destroy' or 'wipe out'.