废除
fèichú · HSK 7
abolish
🚫 FAY-choo! Sneeze away the old law — abolish it like dust
废 means waste or discard, 除 means remove. Together they literally mean remove the waste — to abolish or repeal something outdated. The fèi-chú sound echoes a big sneeze that blows away what no longer belongs.
废 — radical 广 (shelter) + phonetic 发 (fā)
Originally written 廢, this character depicts a building (广, a shelter or house) that has fallen into disuse, with 發 serving as the phonetic component. The core meaning is 'to abandon' or 'discard,' extending to 'ruined,' 'useless,' or 'waste.' The simplified form 废 replaces 發 with 发.
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.'