The Chinese idiom 精疲力竭 (jīng pí lì jié), meaning "utterly exhausted" or "spent," is formed through a parallel and complementary structure common in classical Chinese compounds. It consists of two tightly coupled pairs: 精疲 (jīng pí), where 精 means "spirit" or "energy" and 疲 means "weary," thus describing mental or vital exhaustion; and 力竭 (lì jié), where 力 means "physical strength" and 竭 means "depleted" or "used up," denoting physical depletion. The two halves are synonymous in effect, working in tandem to create a holistic and emphatic depiction of total fatigue, leaving no aspect of one's vitality untouched. This formation follows the common **chéngyǔ** (成语) pattern of four-character idioms that express a complete concept through balanced, often metaphorical, word pairs.