jié
verb #24,874

Meanings

  1. 1 to exhaust
  2. 2 to use up completely
  3. 3 to dry up

Examples

Tā jié jìn quánlì wánchéng le zhè xiàng rènwù.
He exhausted all his strength to complete this task.
Quánshuǐ yǐjīng jié le, cūnmín men bùdébù lìng xún shuǐyuán.
The spring has dried up, and the villagers had to find another water source.
Tā jiélì wéichí zhe jiātíng de píngjìng.
She did her utmost to maintain peace in the family.

Tips

usage
is a literary/classical character, most commonly seen in fixed expressions: 竭尽全力 (jié jìn quánlì, to do one's utmost), 竭力 (jiélì, to strive hard), (jié zé ér yú, to drain the pond to catch all the fish — shortsighted exploitation).
memory
Think of as 'stand () until the water () in your cup () runs out' — you've given everything until completely exhausted.

Stroke Order

jié