About
The character 岌 (jí) is a phonosemantic compound, with the radical 山 (shān, mountain) placed on top to convey the general meaning of a landform, and 及 (jí, meaning to reach or catch up) set below to indicate the reading. Its primary definition is 'towering' or 'lofty,' denoting a mountain or structure that rises to an extreme, and therefore precarious, height. From this physical sense, the character's use expanded to describe conditions that are perilous, unstable, or liable to collapse at any moment.
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