About
The character 殚 (traditional: 殫) is a phono-semantic compound. Its left radical, 歹, relates to death, decay, or finality, while the right component, 单 (traditional: 單), provides the phonetic element. Historically, its core meaning has centered on exhaustion or complete depletion, often appearing in compounds that denote the total expenditure of resources, energy, or effort.
Etymology Hide
