伐
fá
to cut down
to fell; to dispatch an expedition against; to attack; to boast; Taiwan pr. [fa1]
person (亻) + halberd (戈) = cut down or attack
A person raising a weapon captures the act of striking down — whether a tree or an enemy. The same character covers felling timber and launching a military campaign because both involve a forceful, directed blow.
工人们在山上伐木，把树运到山下。
gōng rén men zài shān shàng fá mù, bǎ shù yùn dào shān xià。
The workers felled trees on the mountain and transported the logs down.
古代国王决定出兵讨伐邻国。
gǔ dài guó wáng jué dìng chū bīng tǎo fá lín guó。
The ancient king decided to send troops on an expedition against the neighboring state.
Words with 伐
党同伐异
dǎng tóng fá yì
to be narrowly partisan
伐木
fá mù
to cut wood
伐木场
fá mù chǎng
a logging area
伐木工人
fá mù gōng rén
lumberjack
伐柯
fá kē
(cf Book of Songs) How to fashion an ax handle? You need an ax
假道伐虢
jiǎ dào fá guó
to obtain safe passage to conquer the State of Guo
北伐
běi fá
the Northern Expedition, the Nationalists' campaign of 1926-1928 under Chiang Kai-shek, against the rule of local warlords
北伐军
běi fá jūn
the Northern Expeditionary Army
南征北伐
nán zhēng běi fá
war on all sides (idiom); fighting from all four quarters
口诛笔伐
kǒu zhū bǐ fá
to condemn in speech and in writing (idiom)
大张挞伐
dà zhāng tà fá
(idiom) to launch an all-out attack
征伐
zhēng fá
to go on or send a punitive expedition