去除
qù chú · HSK 7
to remove
🧹 去 (go away) + 除 (eliminate) = two remove-verbs stacked, so it means remove for good
Both halves already mean get rid of: 去 is go away or take off, 除 is eliminate or divide out. Doubling them gives a firm to remove or dislodge. Note 除 also shows up in 除法, division, the math sense of taking away.
去 — 土 earth on top + 厶 (originally 凵, a vessel/container) below
Originally a pictograph showing a person (大) departing from an enclosed area or vessel, suggesting leaving or going away. Over time the top simplified to 土 and the bottom to 厶. The core meaning 'to go, to leave, to depart' has remained stable since ancient Chinese.
除 — left ear/mound 阝 + surplus 余
除 combines the 'mound/steps' radical 阝 (originally 阜, a hill) with 余 as the phonetic. It first meant the steps of a palace, then extended to 'remove' or 'clear away' (as one sweeps steps clean), and later to mathematical 'divide.'