Definition
斩草除根 is a four-character idiom (成语) that literally means 'cut the grass and pull out the roots' — you must remove the roots to prevent regrowth. It's used figuratively to mean eradicating a problem or danger completely, leaving no chance of revival. This idiom often appears in contexts of political movements, crime prevention, or conflict resolution where half-measures are seen as dangerous.
idiom
to eliminate the root causeto destroy completelyto eradicate once and for all
Examples
- ，斩草除根，。Duìdài zhè cì yìqíng, zhèngfǔ juédìng zhǎn cǎo chú gēn, cǎiqǔ zuì yángé de gélí cuòshī.Facing this epidemic, the government decided to eradicate it completely and adopt the strictest quarantine measures.
- ，斩草除根，。Chábàn zhège fànzuì jítuán shí, jǐngfāng lìqiú zhǎn cǎo chú gēn, cuīhuǐ le zhěnggè wǎngluò.When investigating this criminal group, the police aimed to eliminate the root cause and destroyed the entire network.
- ，斩草除根。Guāng gěi zácǎo dǎ yào méi yòng, zhǐyǒu zhǎn cǎo chú gēn cái néng fángzhǐ tāmen zài zhǎng chūlái.Just spraying herbicides on the weeds is useless; only by eradicating them root and branch can you prevent them from growing back.
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