灭顶之灾
miè dǐng zhī zāi
a disaster that overwhelms completely; utter ruin
Character by character
灭miè
submerge
submerge
顶dǐng
head
head
之zhī
of
of
灾zāi
disaster
disaster
Example
对这家小工厂来说，失去最大的客户几乎就是一场灭顶之灾。
For this small factory, losing its biggest customer was almost a death blow.
Tone: neutral.
Usage and origin
灭顶 is water closing over one’s head, from the Book of Changes (周易): 过涉灭顶 (wading too deep, the water covers the head). It names a disaster nobody comes back from: 遭受灭顶之灾, 带来灭顶之灾. Strong and a little dramatic; for a mere setback say 打击 or 挫折.
Learn this in Lesson 167 · HSK 7–9: 长江十年禁渔 (Ten years without fishing on the Yangtze)
A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. The first lessons of every level are free.
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