倒 Overthrow

Radical Combination

• ｲ

  Leader
• 至

  Mole
• 刂

  Knife

Meaning

Primary

Overthrow

Alternative

Collapse

Mnemonic

Someone stabbed the leader mole with a knife to overthrow it. Now there is a new mole leader. Because that's what happens when you overthrow someone—someone else needs to take over. In this case, a vengeful mole.

Hints

Imagine a mole sneaking up behind the leader mole and stabbing him with a knife. This type of overthrowing of leadership feels familiar to you. Maybe this has happened before in the past?

Readings

On’yomi

とう

Kun’yomi

たお

Nanori

None

Mnemonic

Where do leaders get overthrown the most? In とうきょう. Just think back in Japanese history, back when everyone was at war with one another. People were taking over and getting overthrown and then that guy gets overthrown and then THAT guy gets overthrown. Basically, it used to be hard to stay a leader in とうきょう.

Hints

Picture this like an exaggerated reenactment on the History channel. Leader after leader of とうきょう gets overthrown and replaced with the next guy. It never stops. (Until the end of the Edo period, I guess.)