A coup d'état occurring within the highest levels of a government or ruling circle; originally used for the seizure of the throne within a royal court.

The counterrevolutionary coup of April 12, 1927, in which Chiang Kai-shek's forces attacked the communists in Shanghai.

a military coup d'état; a seizure of power led by the armed forces

The 1898 coup d'état led by Empress Dowager [[慈禧太后|慈禧太后|ci2 xi3 tai4 hou4]] that ended the Hundred Days' Reform and led to the house arrest of the Guangxu Emperor

a coup d'état carried out by forces perceived to be opposing a revolution, typically used in political contexts to describe the violent overthrow of a revolutionary government or movement

A failed three-day coup in 1884 led by pro-Western reformists in Joseon-dynasty Korea, which was eventually suppressed by Qing dynasty troops.