取代 (qǔ dài)

to replace; to supersede; to supplant; (chemistry) substitution

Character breakdown

取 (qǔ) · 8 strokes

Pictograph of a hand (又) grabbing an ear (耳). In ancient China, the ears of opponents in battle were cut off and collected as tokens of victory.
代 (dài) · 5 strokes

Phonosemantic compound. 亻 represents the meaning and 弋 represents the sound.