剝

• Physical: Peeling, shelling, flaking, or the shedding of layers.
• Environmental: Weathering and erosion (e.g., soil, stone, or coastlines).
• Systemic/Political: The undermining of authority; the gradual loss of support, resources, or power.
• Biological: Sloughing off of tissue or decay that proceeds by layers.
• Philosophical/Divinatory: Progressive displacement where "yielding" elements replace "firm" ones, stripping away supporting structures until collapse occurs from below or within.

Primarily transitive; carries a cumulative force suggesting a sequence of losses rather than a singular event. May also function as a descriptor for a state of decay or an ongoing process.

Distinguish from 破 (pò, to break/burst) and 切 (qiē, to cut). While 剝 may result in a break, the essence is the removal of layers leading up to that point.

Traditional: 剝; Simplified: 剥 (U+5265).

The term accommodates both intentional human agency (e.g., stripping someone of rank) and natural elemental processes (e.g., erosion). The translator must determine if the "stripping" is an act of agency or a condition of nature.