mit6 hau2滅口灭口
Jyutpingmit6 hau2
Yalemiht háu
Definition
To silence a witness; to eliminate an informant or witness in order to prevent them from leaking information.
colloquialpeopleother
How it's used
Carries a heavy, sinister tone often associated with crime thrillers or triad-related narratives. It specifically implies the removal of someone who possesses incriminating knowledge, rather than just any random person. While it can be used metaphorically in intense arguments to describe someone trying to stop another from speaking, it remains a very strong and dramatic expression.
Examples
After he did the bad deed, he wanted to silence the witness.
Do you think you can cover up the crime just by silencing the witness?
Related words
Common phrases
to kill someone to silence them
Common mistake
Do not use this to mean simply killing someone. It must involve the specific motive of preventing someone from revealing information or acting as a witness.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
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Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- Directional complementsThe small words added after a verb to show direction of movement, like up, down, out, in, and back. Common in everyday Cantonese.
- DemonstrativesThis and that with 呢 and 嗰, the personal pronouns, and how 哋 turns I, you, and he into we, you all, and they.
- Resultative complementsSticking a result word onto a verb to show how it turned out, like eat until full or look and find. A productive everyday pattern.
