废黜 (fèi chù) — to dethrone, to depose, to oust (a monarch or leader)

Definition

A formal, written verb meaning to formally strip a ruler or leader of power — used in historical and political contexts (kings, presidents after a coup), not everyday speech.

verb
to dethroneto deposeto oust (a monarch or leader)

Examples

  • 废黜。
    Nà wèi guó wáng yīn bào zhèng ér bèi fèi chù.
    That king was dethroned because of tyranny.
  • 废黜。
    Lì shǐ shàng yǒu bù shǎo jūn zhǔ bèi fèi chù hòu liú fàng tā guó.
    In history, quite a few monarchs were deposed and exiled to other countries.
  • ，废黜。
    Zhèng biàn zhī hòu, jūn fāng xùn sù fèi chù le zǒng tǒng.
    After the coup, the military quickly ousted the president.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

废fèiremove from office
黜chùdismiss

废 means remove from office and 黜 means dismiss, together describing deposing a ruler or leader.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 廢; 废 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
广广guǎnghouse
Sound part声符shēngfú
發
發fā廢fèi
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 廢 shows 广 as a house and 發 as the sound.

Open 废 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
黑黑hēiblack
Sound part声符shēngfú
出
出chū黜chù
Same sound today

The left part 黑 means black, and the right part 出 gives the sound.

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