除暴安良 (chú bào ān liáng) — to eliminate the wicked and protect the innocent; (idiom) ridding society of evildoers to safeguard the people

Definition

A chengyu meaning to root out evildoers and protect the innocent, used for heroes, police, or vigilante figures. The third example shows it can also be used ironically, as a slogan that hides bad motives.

idiom
to eliminate the wicked and protect the innocentridding society of evildoers to safeguard the people

Examples

  • 除暴安良。
    Gǔ dài de xiá kè yǐ chú bào ān liáng wèi jǐ rèn.
    Ancient knights-errant took it as their duty to eliminate evil and protect the innocent.
  • 除暴安良。
    Zhè bù diàn shì jù jiǎng de shì yí gè jǐng chá chú bào ān liáng de gù shi.
    This TV drama tells the story of a police officer ridding society of evildoers to protect the people.
  • 除暴安良，。
    Tā men dǎ zhe chú bào ān liáng de qí hào, shí jì shì zài pái chú yì jǐ.
    They acted under the banner of eliminating evil and protecting the good, but in reality they were purging dissenters.

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.

除暴remove violence
除chúremove暴bàoviolence
动宾Verb + object
安良protect the good
安ānprotect良liánggood people
动宾Verb + object

除暴 means removing violence, and 安良 means protecting the good, so together they describe eliminating evildoers and safeguarding the innocent.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
阜阜fù
Sound part声符shēngfú
余
余yú除chú
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

除 is built from 阜 and 余, with 余 giving the sound.

Open 除 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

The earliest form paired 虎 and 戈, a tiger and a weapon. The later 暴 came from a picture of hands drying something in the sun.

Open 暴 →

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
宀宀mián
Sound part声符shēngfú
女
女nǚ安ān
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In 安, 宀 sits above a seated 女 on a cushion; 宀 is the meaning part, 女 is the sound part, and the character originally meant sitting at ease.

Open 安 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

良 possibly depicts corridors and a room.

Open 良 →

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