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弑 is a phono-semantic compound: 杀 (shā, 'kill') indicates the meaning, while 式 (shì) provides the sound. It is the simplified form of 弒, which contains the traditional component 殺. This character denotes a specific, politically charged act, the murder of a superior by a subordinate, such as a subject assassinating a ruler or a child killing a parent. In traditional Chinese historiography, this specialized verb was essential for denoting crimes that violently disrupted the strict hierarchies of Confucian society, distinguishing them from ordinary murder.
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