About
殒 (traditional form 殞) is a phono-semantic compound. The left component 歹 (the "death" or "bad bone" radical) supplies the meaning of mortality, decay, or life's end, while the right component 员 indicates the sound. As a simplified form of 殞, it primarily means "to die" or "perish", often with the nuance of an untimely or heroic death rather than a natural passing. In formal literary usage, it also describes falling from a height, dropping, or collapsing, applied to meteors falling to earth or flowers shedding petals, linking physical descent with the termination of existence.
Report an issue
Flag incorrect definitions, examples, etymology, etc.