廃はい仏ぶつ毀き釈しゃく

は

い

ぶ

つ

き

しゃ

く

Freq.FrequencyTop 100,000

Meanings

noun

abolish Buddhism, destroy Shakyamuni; anti-Buddhist movement of the early Meiji era

yojijukugo (four-character idiom)›

Historical slogan and movement name from the early Meiji period (1868–1912), when the government promoted Shinto and suppressed Buddhism. Often used in historical or academic contexts.

明めい治じ初しょ期きの廃はい仏ぶつ毀き

釈しゃく

に

よっ

て

、

多おお

く

の

寺じ

院いん

が

破は

壊かい

さ

れ

た

。

Many temples were destroyed due to the anti-Buddhist movement of the early Meiji era.

廃はい仏ぶつ毀き釈しゃくは、神しん仏ぶつ分ぶん離り政せい策さくの一いっ環かんとして行おこなわれた。

The abolishment of Buddhism was carried out as part of the separation of Shinto and Buddhism policy.

Kanji

廃abolish, obsolete, cessation
仏Buddha, the dead, France
毀break, destroy, censure
釈explanation
排repudiate, exclude, expel
棄abandon, throw away, discard

Related words

神しん仏ぶつ分ぶん離り
Refers to the policy of separating Shinto and Buddhism, which was the broader context for 廃仏毀釈. 廃仏毀釈 specifically denotes the destructive anti-Buddhist actions.
廃はい仏ぶつ
A shorter term meaning 'abolition of Buddhism'; 廃仏毀釈 is a four-character compound that adds the nuance of destroying Shakyamuni.

Written forms

廃はい仏ぶつ毀き釈しゃく
Standard kanji form for this historical term.
排はい仏ぶつ棄き釈しゃく
Variant kanji form using 排 (reject) and 棄 (discard); less common.

Etymology

A yojijukugo (four-character compound) from the early Meiji era, combining 廃 (abolish), 仏 (Buddha/Buddhism), 毀 (destroy), and 釈 (Shakyamuni). The exact origin as a slogan is historical, not a classical Chinese phrase.