削藩

xuēfān

verb

Meanings

1 to reduce the power of vassal princes
2 to strip regional lords of their fiefs

Characters

to cut down; to pare

Examples

HSK 7-9

皇帝为了巩固皇权，决定削藩。

Huángdì wèile gǒnggù huángquán, juédìng xuēfān.

To consolidate imperial power, the emperor decided to cut back the vassal princes.

HSK 7-9

建文帝急于削藩，结果朱棣起兵夺了皇位。

Jiànwéndì jíyú xuēfān, jiéguǒ Zhū Dì qǐbīng duó le huángwèi.

The Jianwen Emperor rushed to cut back the princes, and Zhu Di rose in revolt and took the throne.

Tips

history

藩 'fence, borderland' meant the fiefs of princes and regional lords. Cutting them back sparked revolts more than once: against Emperor Jing of Han, 汉景帝, in 154 BC, against the Jianwen Emperor in 1399, and against 康熙 in 1673.

Stroke Order

削 xiāo

藩 fān