The word 残局 is a compound noun formed by combining the morpheme 残 (cán), meaning "incomplete", "damaged", or "remaining", with 局 (jú), meaning "situation", "setup", or specifically "a game (like chess or Go)". Literally, it paints the picture of a "damaged or incomplete game setup". This term originated in the context of board games like chess (象棋), referring specifically to the final, often complex stage of a match where only a few pieces remain on the board. Through semantic extension, its meaning broadened metaphorically to describe any difficult, messy, or declining situation that one inherits or must resolve, such as the aftermath of a conflict or a crumbling enterprise, thus capturing both a concrete game scenario and an abstract state of affairs.