📖 Meaning
To execute and weed out those who are different from oneself. It refers to eliminating and eradicating people who politically oppose you or disagree with your views. The phrase is typically used to describe authoritarian suppression of dissent and persecution of opponents.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from the Biography of Tao Jizhi in the Book of Liang (梁书). When Emperor Wu of the Southern Qi dynasty died, Emperor Ming became prime minister and began executing and eliminating political dissenters. Tao Jizhi refused to flatter or accommodate him, so Emperor Ming grew wary of Tao and exiled him to serve as chief clerk to a general and governor of Beihai. The story illustrates the brutal political purges that accompanied succession struggles in the Southern Dynasties period.
💡 Example Usage
历代暴君为巩固权力，无不诛锄异己，残害忠良。
Throughout history, tyrants seeking to consolidate power have invariably eliminated dissenters and persecuted the loyal and upright.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 诛锄异己
- Pinyin: zhū chú yì jǐ
- Literal Translation: execute, weed out, different, self
- Category: Power
- Characters: 4