竭 jié to exhaust
怎么记住“竭”: 立 stand + 曷 why = to exhaust. After the marathon the runner can barely stand, wonders why she ever signed up and says "That race was enough to exhaust me for a year."
部件结构
形声 · Meaning + sound
One part gives the meaning, the other gives the sound.
竭 = 立 stand + 曷 why
- 立 stand meaning
- 曷 why sound
After the marathon the runner can barely stand, wonders why she ever signed up and says "That race was enough to exhaust me for a year."
How it came to be
Standing gives the meaning and the right part the sound; the word first meant lifting a load onto the back.
用法
- To exhaust / use up completely: 竭尽全力 (jiéjìn-quánlì) / 竭力 (jiélì) to do one's utmost, 枯竭 (kūjié) drained/depleted (资源枯竭 depleted resources), 衰竭 (shuāijié) (organ) failure.
- 声嘶力竭 (shēngsī-lìjié) means shouting till hoarse and spent; 精疲力竭 (jīngpí-lìjié) means utterly exhausted.