絕

絕 (Kangxi radical 120, 糸+6, 12 strokes, cangjie input 女火尸竹山 (VFSHU), four-corner 2791₇, composition ⿰糹⿱刀巴)

• 絶 (Japanese kanji. Also the preferred form for traditional Chinese in mainland China)
• 绝 (Simplified Chinese)

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 922, character 4
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 27407
• Dae Jaweon: page 1355, character 9
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 5, page 3396, character 4
• Unihan data for U+7D55

Historical forms of the character 絕
Shang	Western Zhou	Warring States	Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)	Liushutong (compiled in Ming)
Oracle bone script	Bronze inscriptions	Chu slip and silk script	Small seal script	Transcribed ancient scripts

Originally ideogrammic compound (會意／会意) : 刀 (“knife”) + 幺 (“silk”) or ideogrammic compound (會意／会意) : 刀 (“knife”) + 𢆶 (“silk”) — to cut silk threads.

Now phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声) : semantic 糹／纟 (“silk”) + semantic 刀 (“knife”) + phonetic 巴 (卪).

絕

1. to break off; to cut off; to sever

   斷絕／断绝  ―  duànjué  ―  to break off; to cut off

   絕望／绝望  ―  juéwàng  ―  to despair; to give up hope

   • 鍾子期死，伯牙破琴絕弦，終身不復鼓琴，以為世無足復為鼓琴者。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     钟子期死，伯牙破琴绝弦，终身不复鼓琴，以为世无足复为鼓琴者。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: Lü Buwei, Master Lü's Spring and Autumn Annals, 239 BCE

     Zhōng Zǐqī sǐ, Bó Yá pò qín jué xián, zhōngshēn bù fù gǔqín, yǐwèi shì wú zú fù wéi gǔqín zhě. [Pinyin]

     (please add an English translation of this usage example)

   • 未至身，秦王驚，自引而起，袖絕。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     未至身，秦王惊，自引而起，袖绝。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: The Records of the Grand Historian, by Sima Qian, c. 91 BCE

     Wèi zhì shēn, Qín wáng jīng, zì yǐn ér qǐ, xiù jué. [Pinyin]

     (please add an English translation of this usage example)

2. to terminate; to discontinue; to break off

   源源不絕／源源不绝  ―  yuányuánbùjué  ―  to flow continuously without stopping

3. to exhaust; to use up

   彈盡糧絕／弹尽粮绝  ―  dànjìnliángjué  ―  to have used up all ammunition and food supply

   話不要說得太絕。 [MSC, trad.]
   话不要说得太绝。 [MSC, simp.]

   Huà bùyào shuō dé tài jué. [Pinyin]

   Don’t say anything uncompromising.

   • 自以為尚遲，疾走不休，絕力而死。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     自以为尚迟，疾走不休，绝力而死。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: Zhuangzi, circa 3^rd – 2^nd centuries BCE

     Zì yǐwéi shàng chí, jí zǒu bùxiū, jué lì ér sǐ. [Pinyin]

     He thought he was going too slow, and ran on with all his speed without stopping, till his strength was exhausted and he died.

4. superb; peerless; matchless

   絕技／绝技  ―  juéjì  ―  unique skill

   拍案叫絕／拍案叫绝  ―  pāi'ànjiàojué  ―  bang one’s fist on the table and shout with pleasure

   這身材太絕了／这身材太绝了  ―  zhè shēncái tài jué le  ―  This figure is superb!

5. desperate; dangerous without a way out

   絕路／绝路  ―  juélù  ―  road to ruin; blind alley; dead end

   • 絕地無留 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     绝地无留 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: The Art of War, circa 5^th century BCE

     juédì wú liú [Pinyin]

     Do not linger in dangerously isolated positions.

6. extremely; most

   絕大多數／绝大多数  ―  jué dàduōshù  ―  the overwhelming majority

   絕好時機／绝好时机  ―  juéhǎo shíjī  ―  excellent opportunity

7. (used before a negative) absolutely; definitely; certainly

   絕不可能／绝不可能  ―  jué bù kěnéng  ―  to have absolutely no possibility that

   絕無此意／绝无此意  ―  jué wú cǐ yì  ―  to have absolutely no such intentions

   我絕不會拋棄你。 [MSC, trad.]
   我绝不会抛弃你。 [MSC, simp.]

   Wǒ jué bùhuì pāoqì nǐ. [Pinyin]

   I will definitely never abandon you.

8. to die

   悲痛欲絕／悲痛欲绝  ―  bēitòngyùjué  ―  to be grief-stricken

   • 嗟嗟子厚，今也則亡。臨絕之音，一何琅琅？ [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     嗟嗟子厚，今也则亡。临绝之音，一何琅琅？ [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: 9th century, Han Yu, 祭柳子厚文

     Jiējiē Zǐhòu, jīn yě zé wáng. Lín jué zhī yīn, yīhé lángláng? [Pinyin]

     (please add an English translation of this usage example)

9. (literary) to cross; to traverse; to pass

   • 假舟楫者，非能水也，而絕江河。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     假舟楫者，非能水也，而绝江河。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: Xunzi, c. 3^rd century BCE

     Jiǎ zhōují zhě, fēi néng shuǐ yě, ér jué jiānghé. [Pinyin]

     One who uses a boat, despite not knowing how to swim, can nevertheless cross rivers.

10. (poetry) jueju; quatrain

    七絕／七绝  ―  qījué  ―  heptasyllabic quatrain

11. (literary) faraway; distant; remote
12. (literary) to surpass; to outdo
13. (Xiamen Hokkien) Used at the start of a sentence to express surprise, admiration, regret, or frustration

• (to break off):

• (to terminate):

• (to exhaust):

• (absolutely): 絕對／绝对 (juéduì), 千萬／千万 (qiānwàn), 萬萬／万万 (wànwàn), (Cantonese) 千祈 (cin1 kei4), (Hokkien) 千千 (sian-sian)
• (to die):

• (jueju): 絕句／绝句 (juéjù)
• (faraway):

• “絕”, in 漢語多功能字庫 (Multi-function Chinese Character Database)‎, 香港中文大學 (the Chinese University of Hong Kong), 2014–

(uncommon “Hyōgai” kanji)

1. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.

• On (unclassified): ぜつ (zetsu)
• Kun: たえる (taeru); たつ (tatsu); たやす (tayasu)

This character has never been used in modern Japanese. The current form is 絶.

絕 (eum 절 (jeol))

1. Alternative form of 絶

絕: Hán Nôm readings: tuyệt

1. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.