灰飞烟灭 in English hui1 fei1 yan1 mie4 Meaning

Meanings

  • literally (word for word) scattered ashes and dispersed smoke (idiomatic expression)
  • metaphorically to be annihilated
  • to vanish in a puff of smoke

Simplified Characters

灰 飞 烟 灭

Traditional Characters

灰 飛 煙 滅

Pinyin

hui1 fei1 yan1 mie4

Literal

Literal explanation, with pronunciation and meaning of each character.

灰hui1ash 飞fei1to fly 烟yan1cigarette or pipe tobacco 灭mie4to extinguish or put out