How to Write 勦 (chāo) — Meaning “to suppress or destroy”

Imagine a nest (巢) full of enemies, and you need to use great strength (力) to smash and destroy it completely. The action of wiping out the nest by force visually connects the parts to the meaning 'to suppress or destroy'.

The left side 巢 must be written with careful balance—it is tall and narrow, with the top '巛' (three strokes) and bottom '木' (wood). The right side 力 should be slightly shorter than the left, and its hook stroke must curve outwards. A common mistake is making the left side too wide or misplacing the vertical stroke in 木.

勦 (chāo) means 'to suppress or destroy' and uses 力 with 巢, while 勒 (lè) means 'to rein in' or 'to compel', combining 革 (leather) with 力. 勖 (xù) means 'to encourage', built from 冒 (risk) and 力. Visually, 勦 has the complex left side 巢, whereas 勒 has 革 on the left and 勖 has 冒 on top.

勦 is used in formal or historical contexts, often in military or government phrases like 勦灭 (to exterminate), 围勦 (to encircle and suppress), and 勦除 (to eliminate). It is not common in daily conversation; you might encounter it in news reports about combat operations or in historical novels describing campaigns.

Common words containing 勦 include: 勦灭 (chāo miè) — to exterminate; 围勦 (wéi chāo) — To encircle and suppress; 勦除 (chāo chú) — to eliminate or root out.