The radical
讠 (speech) in
诛 is not accidental: 《
说文解字》 defines
诛 as 'to denounce' (
讨), and ancient Chinese law saw verbal condemnation and physical execution as two ends of one act. The most chilling collocation is
诛九族 — 'execute to the ninth degree of kinship', a punishment for treason that wiped out an entire extended family.
诛 still carries that imperial-court weight; modern speech prefers
处决 or
处死 for plain 'execute'.
