弑君 (shì jūn) — to commit regicide; to kill one's sovereign

Definition

A formal, literary verb meaning to kill one's own ruler. 弑 is reserved for a subject killing a superior — contrast with 杀, the everyday verb. Usually appears in historical or classical texts.

verb
to commit regicideto kill one's sovereign

Examples

  • ，弑君。
    Zài fēng jiàn shí dài, shì jūn bèi rèn wéi shì zuì yán zhòng de zuì xíng zhī yī.
    In feudal times, regicide was considered one of the most serious crimes.
  • ，。
    Lì shǐ shàng jì zǎi tā céng jīng shì guò jūn, dàn shǐ xué jiā duì cǐ yǒu zhēng yì.
    Historical records say he once committed regicide, but historians dispute this.
  • 弑君。
    shì jūn Zhě wǎng wǎng huì bèi chǔ yǐ jí xíng.
    Those who commit regicide are often subjected to capital punishment.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

弑shìkill
君jūnruler

The action 弑 kill directed at 君 ruler gives regicide.

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 弒; 弑 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
殺殺shāto kill
Sound part声符shēngfú
式
式shì弒shì
Same sound today

The traditional form 弒 shows 殺 (to kill) beside 式 as a sound part; the simplified 弑 is a later abbreviation.

Open 弑 →

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
口口kǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
尹
尹yǐn君jūn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

君 combines 尹 and 口. Early forms were often interchangeable with 尹, and 口 may show commands or simply be decorative.

Open 君 →

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.