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褫 (chǐ) is a formal classical verb meaning to strip off clothing, deprive of rank, or remove forcefully. Formed as a phono-semantic compound, it combines the clothing radical 衤 (yī) on the left, indicating its literal sense of undressing, with the phonetic component 虒 (sī/chǐ) on the right. Originally referring to the physical act of stripping garments, the character later extended metaphorically in historical and legal contexts to denote the stripping of official titles, degrees, or privileges, using the removal of robes as a synecdoche for demotion.
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