Explore each form from the oldest known stage to today.
The character 滅 (miè) originally depicted water (氵) extinguishing fire, symbolizing destruction and extinction. In ancient oracle bone script, it showed water overwhelming flames. Over centuries, the character evolved through bronze script and seal script forms, eventually standardizing in clerical script. The modern form 滅 combines the water radical with the component 烕 (meaning 'to extinguish'), perfectly capturing its core meaning of 'to destroy,' 'to exterminate,' or 'to extinguish.' This character has maintained its fundamental concept of cessation and annihilation throughout Chinese writing history. Arrived in Japan: The character 滅 arrived in Japan during the 5th-6th centuries CE, primarily through the introduction of Chinese writing systems and Buddhist texts. It was formally adopted into the Japanese writing system and appears in many early Japanese documents, including the 8th century Man'yōshū poetry anthology. The character is read as 'metsu' in Sino-Japanese readings and 'horobiru' in native Japanese readings.