沙特阿拉伯國王兼首相薩勒曼21日發布命令，免去他的侄子穆罕默德·本·納伊夫的王儲、副首相和內政大臣職位，任命自己兒子、副王儲、第二副首相穆罕默德·本·薩勒曼為王儲和副首相，并繼續擔任國防大臣一職。

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (R) shakes hands with a member of the royal family during an allegiance pledging ceremony in Mecca, Saudi Arabia June 21, 2017. Bandar Algaloud/Courtesy of Saudi Royal Court/Handout via REUTERS.

這條新聞出來以后，“廢黜”這個詞也火了。

廢黜，指罷免或革除官職，也可指取消王位或者廢除特權地位。這條新聞里的“廢黜”一詞應該適用于第二個解釋。我們來看看外媒都是怎么報道這件事的：

《衛報》

Saudi king ousts nephew to name son as first in line to throne
沙特國王廢黜侄子 任命兒子為第一王位繼承人

King Salman of Saudi Arabia has ousted his nephew as crown prince and replaced him with his son, Mohammed bin Salman, confirming the 31-year-old as heir and consolidating the kingdom’s move to reassert its influence as a regional power.
沙特國王薩勒曼廢除其侄子的王儲地位，改由31歲的兒子穆罕默德·本·薩勒曼接任，明確其王位繼承人地位，同時為沙特作為地區強國重振雄風提供堅定的支持。

法新社

Saudi king ousts nephew, names son as heir
沙特國王廢黜侄子，任命兒子為繼承人

Saudi Arabia's King Salman ousted his nephew as crown prince on Wednesday and installed his son Mohammed bin Salman, capping a meteoric rise for the 31-year-old that puts him one step from the throne.
沙特阿拉伯國王薩勒曼21日罷免了侄子的王儲之位，讓兒子穆罕默德·本·薩勒曼擔任，將31歲的兒子火箭提拔至離王位僅一步之遙的地位。

美國有線電視新聞網

Saudi Arabia's king replaces nephew with son as heir to throne
沙特阿拉伯王儲實現子侄交接

In a surprise reshuffle at the top of Saudi Arabia's royal hierarchy, the country's king has removed his nephew as crown prince in favor of his son, Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz.
沙特阿拉伯王室高層意外變動，國王免去侄子王儲之位，轉由兒子穆罕默德·本·薩勒曼接任。

英國廣播公司

Saudi king's son Mohammed bin Salman is new crown prince
沙特國王之子穆罕默德·本·薩勒曼成為新王儲

Saudi Arabia's king has appointed his son Mohammed bin Salman as crown prince - replacing his nephew, Mohammed bin Nayef, as first in line to the throne.
沙特阿拉伯國王任命自己的兒子穆罕默德·本·薩勒曼為王儲，取代其侄子穆罕默德·本·納伊夫成為王位第一繼承人。

路透社

Saudi king empowers young reformer son in succession shake-up
沙特王位繼承人變動 年輕改革派上位

Saudi Arabia's King Salman made his son next in line to the throne on Wednesday, handing the 31-year-old sweeping powers as the kingdom seeks a radical overhaul of its oil-dependent economy and faces mounting tensions with regional rival Iran.
沙特阿拉伯國王薩勒曼21日將兒子任命為王位繼承人，使31歲的兒子大權在握。沙特目前急需對石油依賴型經濟進行改革，同時與地區宿敵伊朗的關系日漸緊張。

彭博社

Saudi King Removes Crown Prince From Post
沙特國王廢黜王儲

Saudi Arabia’s Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman was promoted to the position of crown prince, replacing his cousin in a surprise announcement that reverberated through the kingdom.
沙特阿拉伯副王儲穆罕默德·本·薩勒曼取代其堂兄被升任為王儲，這條突如其來的消息在沙特全國引起轟動。

縱觀上述幾家外媒的報道，我們不難看出中文報道中的“廢黜”一詞基本來源于oust這個詞。韋氏在線詞典對oust的解釋是：to remove from or dispossess of property or position by legal action, by force, or by the compulsion of necessity（通過法律手段、暴力或者必要的強制措施讓某人從某地或者某個崗位離開）；to take away (something, such as a right or authority)（剝奪權利或權力） 。

除了oust以外，媒體報道中也頻繁使用了remove、replace等意思相近的表達。英語中表達“罷免”之意的詞匯不少，但是具體用法有所不同，這里簡要給大家列出一些，僅供參考：to replace A with B；to dismiss someone from post；to remove someone from office；to discharge someone from an office or position；to end the employment or service of someone；to relieve someone of one's post等。

沙特阿拉伯的王位繼承人是怎么選出來的？

The founder of Saudi Arabia, King Abdulaziz (known as Ibn Saud), had dozens of sons, and there are as many as 15,000 princes and princesses in the royal family.
沙特阿拉伯的創立者阿卜杜拉國王有20多個兒子，整個王室家族有15000個王子和公主。

In 2006, a decree was passed setting up a committee responsible for electing the king and crown prince. The committee is made up of senior princes of the Al Saud royal family and is known as the Allegiance Council.
2006年沙特通過一項法令，決定設立一個委員會來專門負責遴選國王和王儲。該委員會被稱為“效忠委員會”，由阿卜杜拉王室家族中的高級成員組成。

Mohammed bin Salman's new promotion to crown prince was approved by 31 out of 34 members of the council.
穆罕默德·本·薩勒曼升任王儲的提議在該委員會的34名成員中獲得了31人的支持。

相關詞匯

crown prince 王儲

deputy crown prince 副王儲

heir to throne 王位繼承人

royal decree 王室法令

line of succession 繼位順序

（中國日報網英語點津 馬文英）