Definitions
(verb)
to reform; to change
(noun)
leather; animal hide
(verb)
to remove; to dismiss
Etymology
Pictograph of animal hide laying flat.
About
The character 革 is an ideogram that originally depicted the process of preparing animal hides, evolving to signify systemic change. Visually, it represented a raw hide being stretched and manipulated to remove hair and create finished leather. Unlike 皮, which denotes raw skin or fur, 革 specifically refers to leather that has been intentionally processed and altered from its natural state. Since this transformation turns the hide into a fundamentally different material, the character’s meaning extended metaphorically to describe removing officials from office, radically altering systems, and enacting political revolutions.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
这个包包是皮革做的。
我们需要改革教育制度。
公司致力于技术革新。
工业革命改变了世界。
社会变革需要时间。
他决心革除不良习惯。
经理因失误被革职了。
环保材料的革新促进了可持续发展。