孱

Traditionally analyzed as a compound ideograph.

The structure combines elements suggesting support and offspring, visually implying insufficiency of strength:

- the upper component relates to enclosure/body (historically associated with physical condition),

- the repeated lower elements suggest dependence or lack of robustness.

Rather than depicting injury, the character conveys inherent frailty—weakness as a state, not an event.

The meanings of 孱 remained relatively narrow:

- physical frailty — weak body; lack of strength;

- constitutional weakness — inability to endure strain;

- figurative extension — weak or ineffective (of forces, power, structures).

Unlike many characters, 孱 did not broaden into abstract moral weakness; it stays close to physical reality.

In Korean, 孱 is rare outside fixed compounds like 잔약(孱弱).

The character appears frequently in medical, historical, and literary descriptions.

It pairs naturally with intensifiers or contrasts to highlight disparity in strength.

Common compounds:

잔약 (孱弱) — weak; feeble

잔체 (孱體) — weak body (literary)

孱 focuses on constitutional weakness, not temporary fatigue.

It is often used to describe:

- a person’s physical build,

- a body weakened by illness,

- by extension, something structurally feeble.

It emphasizes lack of endurance, not momentary failure, and contrasts with:

強 — strong

健 — healthy; robust

Related characters:

弱 — weak

疲 — fatigued

病 — illness

健 — healthy (contrast)

強 — strong (contrast)

Among these, 孱 most specifically denotes innate or ongoing frailty, rather than temporary weakness.

Classical / literary usage:

體質孱弱 — “Of a frail constitution”

孱而不堪久役 — “So weak as to be unable to endure long labor”