除去

• Pinyin: chú qù
• Hanzi breakdown: 除 = 阝 + 余 (remove); 去 = 土 + 厶 (go away)

Meaning

To remove; to get rid of; to eliminate. As a preposition, except for, aside from.

Can function as a verb meaning to physically remove or eliminate something, or as a preposition similar to 除了 meaning 'apart from' or 'except for.'

Examples

1. 医生成功除去了患者体内的肿瘤。 The doctor successfully removed the tumor from the patient’s body.
2. 除去这个缺点，他其实是个很优秀的员工。 Aside from this flaw, he’s actually an excellent employee.
3. 我们需要除去一切干扰因素。 We need to eliminate all interfering factors.

Usage Guide

Context: medical, analysis, formal writing

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 这款清洁剂能有效除去顽固污渍。(This cleaner can effectively remove stubborn stains.)
• 除去运费，商品本身并不贵。(Aside from shipping costs, the product itself is not expensive.)

Don't Say

• 除去我去学校 — grammatically incorrect; use 除了...以外 for exclusion

Origin & History

除 (remove) + 去 (away)

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal