清君侧

清君側

qīngjūncè

idiom

Meanings

1 to purge those beside the ruler
2 to rid the court of the sovereign's bad advisers
3 classic pretext for armed rebellion

Characters

clear out, purge

ruler, sovereign

Examples

他打着清君侧的旗号起兵。

Tā dǎzhe qīngjūncè de qíhào qǐbīng.

He raised troops under the banner of 'purging the sovereign's court.'

历史上以清君侧为名的叛乱不胜枚举。

Lìshǐ shàng yǐ qīngjūncè wéi míng de pànluàn bùshèng-méijǔ.

History is full of rebellions fought in the name of cleaning out the ruler's advisers.

Tips

history

From 《公羊传·定公十三年》: 逐君侧之恶人 — drive out the evil men beside the lord. Most famously the slogan of the Tang An Lushan rebellion and the Ming Jingnan campaign. Almost always a fig-leaf for seizing power yourself.

Stroke Order

清 qīng

君 jūn

侧 cè