殘 (cán) - Incomplete, deficient, damaged, ruined & cruel, savage

殘Tone 2

cán ｜ 12 strokes ｜ radical:

偲嫦

殘 · cán

Incomplete, deficient, damaged, ruined;

cruel, savage;

remnant, remaining;

to injure, to harm.

Incomplete, deficient, damaged, ruinedcruel, savageremnant, remaining

Usage highlights

disabled personremnant forcescruel and ruthlessseverely damagedremaining years of lifecruel oppression

Synonyms

  • 缺— deficient, lacking
  • 損— damaged, impaired
  • 餘— remaining, surplus
  • 酷— cruel, brutal

Antonyms

  • 全— complete, whole
  • 整— intact, undamaged
  • 完— perfect, complete
  • 善— kind, benevolent

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The building was severely damaged (殘破) in the earthquake.
  • He was left disabled (殘疾) after the accident.
  • Only remnants (殘餘) of food remained on the plate.
  • The cruel (殘酷) treatment of prisoners was condemned.

Collocations

  • disabled person(殘疾人)
  • remnant forces(殘餘勢力)
  • cruel and ruthless(殘酷無情)
  • severely damaged(殘破不堪)
  • remaining years of life(殘年)
  • cruel oppression(殘害)

Idioms

  • To eliminate the wicked and remove the evil(除殘去穢)
  • To gloat over others' misfortune(幸災樂禍)
  • To struggle on at death's door(苟延殘喘)
  • To wipe out the entire enemy force(殘敵務盡)
  • The remaining sun sets over the withered tree(殘陽枯木)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Often associated with concepts of incompleteness, damage, or cruelty in classical Chinese texts.
  • Used in historical contexts to describe remnants of defeated armies or decaying states.
  • In modern usage, carries sensitive connotations when referring to people with disabilities.
  • Appears in Buddhist texts describing the impermanent and damaged nature of worldly existence.

FAQ