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灰飞烟灭

huī fēi yān mièdictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
lit. scattered ashes and dispersed smoke (idiom) / fig. to be annihilated / to vanish in a puff of smoke
Sources & editorial notes

Reference definitions: CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source release 2026-10-27T01:55:52Z. Imported 2026-10-27. Definition wording and meaning order are retained. Recognized pronunciation references are displayed with tone marks; the original source record is available below.

Source record: cd-1735165b4a023a9c. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

灰飛煙滅 灰飞烟灭 [hui1 fei1 yan1 mie4] /lit. scattered ashes and dispersed smoke (idiom)/fig. to be annihilated/to vanish in a puff of smoke/

Reference definitions and teaching material have separate provenance.

Reference information

The definitions above are from CC-CEDICT. Examples and usage notes are available on selected entries.

Character information

View the individual characters. Their meanings do not necessarily explain the meaning of the whole word.

Other forms in these source records: 灰飛煙滅

  • 灰
    huī

    ash / dust / lime / gray / discouraged / dejected

  • 飞
    fēi

    to fly

  • 烟
    yān

    cigarette or pipe tobacco / CL:根[gēn] / smoke / mist / vapour / CL:縷|缕[lǚ] / tobacco plant / (of the eyes) to be irritated by smoke / tobacco (variant of 煙|烟[yān])

  • 灭
    miè

    to extinguish or put out / to go out (of a fire etc) / to exterminate or wipe out / to drown

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.