About
瘁 is a phono-semantic compound. The outer radical 疒, meaning sickness, situates the character's meaning among physical ailments, bodily suffering, and deteriorating health. The inner component 卒 provides the sound. Together, they convey a state of extreme physical or mental exhaustion resulting from severe overwork, prolonged stress, or debilitating illness. The character paints a picture of being completely worn down and broken by exertion, and it frequently appears in contexts describing someone who has sacrificed their vitality or worked themselves to the point of physiological collapse.
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