mass noun
1- the physical destruction or disintegration of something or the state of disintegrating or being destroyed毁灭; 灭亡; 毁坏; 崩溃; 毁灭（或破败、倾圮）状态：
a large white house falling into gentle ruin.
开始慢慢破败的一幢白色大房子。
1.1
- count noun the remains of a building, typically an old one, that has suffered much damage or disintegration被损毁之物; 倾圮的建筑物; 废墟; 遗迹; 残余：
the ruins of the castle
城堡的遗迹
the church is a ruin now.
这座教堂现已破败不堪。
1.2
- the disastrous disintegration of someone's life（人生的）毁灭; 大灾难：
the ruin and heartbreak wrought by alcohol, divorce, and violence.
由喝酒、离婚和暴力造成的毁灭和悲哀。
1.3
- the cause of such disintegration毁灭（或没落）的原因, 祸根：
they don't know how to say no, and that's been their ruin.
他们不知道如何说不, 这就是他们遭殃的原因。
1.4
- the complete loss of one's money and other assets倾家荡产, 破产：
the financial cost could mean ruin.
这财政开支可能意味着破产。
1
- with obj. reduce (a building or place) to a state of decay, collapse, or disintegration使（建筑物, 地方）破败; 使成为废墟：
as adj. ruined a ruined castle.一座倾圮的城堡。
1.1
- cause great and usually irreparable damage or harm to; have a disastrous effect on毁坏; 毁损; 使遭到无可挽回的损害; 对…有灾难性的影响：
a noisy motorway has ruined village life.
喧嚣的高速公路毁坏了乡村生活。
1.2
- reduce to a state of poverty使倾家荡产, 使破产：
they were ruined by the highest interest rates this century.
他们被本世纪的最高利率弄得倾家荡产。
2
- no obj. poetic/literary fall headlong or with a crash〈诗/文〉头朝下跌落; 哗啦一声掉下：
carriages go ruining over the brink from time to time.
时而有马车哗啦一声掉下陡峭的悬崖。
短语
in ruins
- in a state of complete disorder or disintegration被毁灭的; 毁坏了的; 垮掉的; 成废墟的：
the economy was in ruins.
经济崩溃了。
词源
Middle English （in the sense 'collapse of a building'）： from Old French ruine, from Latin ruina, from ruere 'to fall'.