<p>'尽' means completely,
一网打尽 means to catch the whole lot in an action， ‘尽’ emphasis there is nothing left after that action.
(wish my English won't confuse you)</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-04-14T09:06:04.613Z
as “vessel emptied” is the original meaning, nothing left or no action left is the suitable one as well thanks. ;;;;as the time goes and people might use language to suit to their surrounding conditions and the way other people pronounce it and how they understand and how they use to express gradually changes over time and that is common to any language. ;;;; thanks
user27485
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-04-13T03:23:12.433Z
2021-04-13T03:23:12.433Z
Fang Guo
<p><strong>Usage</strong></p>
<ol>
<li><p>When you see <code>V+盡</code>, it means to complete the action to full extent. (i.e. <code>盡</code> is adverbial)</p>
<ul>
<li><code>吃盡珍饈百味</code> To have eaten <em>all</em> kinds of delicacies</li>
<li><code>費盡心思</code> To rack one's brains (lit. to have spent thoughts <em>completely</em>)</li>
<li><code>把賊人一網打盡</code> To have caught the thieves at <em>one fell swoop</em></li>
</ul>
<p>The objects are <code>珍饈百味</code>, <code>心思</code>, and <code>賊人</code> (fronted).</p>
</li>
<li><p>In classical Chinese, <code>盡</code> can act as a <em>verb</em> meaning 'to deplete' or 'to be depleted'. You may find this in modern Chinese through idioms or common collocations (in that case, it would be <code>盡+N</code>):</p>
<ul>
<li><code>一飲而盡</code> To <em>drain</em> the cup</li>
<li><code>盡心盡力</code> To <em>devote</em> one's heart and energy</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><p>As an adverb, it is sometimes possible to see <code>盡+V</code> (its preceding the verb) because classical Chinese does not make the distinction between <code>V+盡</code> and <code>盡+V</code>.<sup>1</sup></p>
<ul>
<li><code>盡如人意</code> To have something <em>entirely</em> as someone wishes</li>
<li><code>盡信書不如無書</code> (lit. Believing <em>everything</em> in books is worse than having no books at all.)</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ol>
<p><strong>Glyph origin</strong></p>
<ol start="4">
<li><p><code>盡</code> depicts a right hand brushing an emptied vessel (<code>皿</code>) (see bronze script below), which symbolises the <em>end</em> of eating (of course there is semantic generalisation).</p>
</li>
<li><p><code>尽</code> (the simplified character) is the cursive script of <code>盡</code> in printed form (see Wen Zhengming's cursive below, and appreciate how the cursive resembles both <code>盡</code> and <code>尽</code> at the same time). We call this phenomenon 草書楷化. It is one of the methods of character simplification (see the second entry of the Wikipedia section <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simplified_Chinese_characters#Structural_simplification_of_characters" rel="nofollow noreferrer">here</a>).</p>
<div class="s-table-container">
<table class="s-table">
<thead>
<tr>
<th style="text-align: center;">Character</th>
<th style="text-align: center;"></th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center;"><code>盡</code></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/rpAom.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/rpAom.png" alt="jin_bronze" /></a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center;"><code>尽</code></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/E25aks.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/E25aks.png" alt="jin_cursive" /></a></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</div></li>
</ol>
<p><sup>1</sup> 蔣紹愚（2004）從“盡 V——V 盡”和“誤 V/錯 V——V 錯” 看述補結構的形成。語言暨語言學，5(3)，559–581。http://www.ling.sinica.edu.tw/Files/LL/Docments/Journals/j2004_3_02_0638.pdf</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-04-13T04:07:43.537Z
Parker thanks for the detailed explanation with precise details. if 尽 comes after the verb, it means that the verb action is completed. Generally I remember dictionary entries like“尽 jìn use up, to exhaust, deplete”. Does any change required the way how i remember this word? my SRS entry will show V + 尽 is the corresponding action is completed? or my dictionary entry? in this particular example?
user27485
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-04-13T04:33:04.310Z
They are all very similar. Perhaps pay attention to its part of speech - is it a noun as in 盡頭? A verb as in 盡力? An adverb as in 趕盡殺絕? Then you'll understand 盡 better.
L Parker
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-04-13T09:56:25.493Z
Also note that simplified script merges both 儘(jin3) and 盡(jin4) into 尽.
madprogramer
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-04-13T01:34:18.583Z
2021-04-13T02:22:50.403Z
2021-04-13T02:22:50.403Z
L Parker
<p>一网打尽 yīwǎngdǎjìn lit. to catch everything in the one net.</p>
<p>In this sentence what does 尽 means? how to easily remember the meaning by seeing the character without wild guess and imagining etymological correct guess? Thanks</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-04-13T04:21:55.463Z
It's like the "all" in "one call does it all."
joehua
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-04-13T08:34:21.810Z
The original meaning of 尽(盡) is **the end**, like 尽头: the end; 无尽: endless. The extended meaning is **completely**.
xenophōn
<meaning><meaning-in-context><etymology><glyph-origin>
In “一网打尽” what does 尽 mean?
# In “一网打尽” what does 尽 mean?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2021-04-13)

一网打尽 yīwǎngdǎjìn lit. to catch everything in the one net.

In this sentence what does 尽 means? how to easily remember the meaning by seeing the character without wild guess and imagining etymological correct guess? Thanks

**Tags:** meaning, meaning-in-context, etymology, glyph-origin

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: It's like the "all" in "one call does it all."  
> **username_2**: The original meaning of 尽(盡) is **the end**, like 尽头: the end; 无尽: endless. The extended meaning is **completely**.  

---

## 2 answers

### Answer by username_4 on 2021-04-13. Score: 4 | Accepted answer

**Usage**

1. When you see `V+盡`, it means to complete the action to full extent. (i.e. `盡` is adverbial)

   * `吃盡珍饈百味` To have eaten *all* kinds of delicacies
   * `費盡心思` To rack one's brains (lit. to have spent thoughts *completely*)
   * `把賊人一網打盡` To have caught the thieves at *one fell swoop*

   The objects are `珍饈百味`, `心思`, and `賊人` (fronted).
2. In classical Chinese, `盡` can act as a *verb* meaning 'to deplete' or 'to be depleted'. You may find this in modern Chinese through idioms or common collocations (in that case, it would be `盡+N`):

   * `一飲而盡` To *drain* the cup
   * `盡心盡力` To *devote* one's heart and energy
3. As an adverb, it is sometimes possible to see `盡+V` (its preceding the verb) because classical Chinese does not make the distinction between `V+盡` and `盡+V`.1

   * `盡如人意` To have something *entirely* as someone wishes
   * `盡信書不如無書` (lit. Believing *everything* in books is worse than having no books at all.)

**Glyph origin**

4. `盡` depicts a right hand brushing an emptied vessel (`皿`) (see bronze script below), which symbolises the *end* of eating (of course there is semantic generalisation).
5. `尽` (the simplified character) is the cursive script of `盡` in printed form (see Wen Zhengming's cursive below, and appreciate how the cursive resembles both `盡` and `尽` at the same time). We call this phenomenon 草書楷化. It is one of the methods of character simplification (see the second entry of the Wikipedia section [here](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simplified_Chinese_characters#Structural_simplification_of_characters)).

   | Character |  |
   | --- | --- |
   | `盡` | [jin_bronze](https://i.sstatic.net/rpAom.png) |
   | `尽` | [jin_cursive](https://i.sstatic.net/E25aks.png) |

1 蔣紹愚（2004）從“盡 V——V 盡”和“誤 V/錯 V——V 錯” 看述補結構的形成。語言暨語言學，5(3)，559–581。http://www.ling.sinica.edu.tw/Files/LL/Docments/Journals/j2004\_3\_02\_0638.pdf

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: username_4 thanks for the detailed explanation with precise details. if 尽 comes after the verb, it means that the verb action is completed. Generally I remember dictionary entries like“尽 jìn use up, to exhaust, deplete”. Does any change required the way how i remember this word? my SRS entry will show V + 尽 is the corresponding action is completed? or my dictionary entry? in this particular example?  
> **username_4**: They are all very similar. Perhaps pay attention to its part of speech - is it a noun as in 盡頭? A verb as in 盡力? An adverb as in 趕盡殺絕? Then you'll understand 盡 better.  
> **username_5**: Also note that simplified script merges both 儘(jin3) and 盡(jin4) into 尽.  

---

### Answer by username_3 on 2021-04-13. Score: 1

'尽' means completely,
一网打尽 means to catch the whole lot in an action， ‘尽’ emphasis there is nothing left after that action.
(wish my English won't confuse you)

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: as “vessel emptied” is the original meaning, nothing left or no action left is the suitable one as well thanks. ;;;;as the time goes and people might use language to suit to their surrounding conditions and the way other people pronounce it and how they understand and how they use to express gradually changes over time and that is common to any language. ;;;; thanks  

---

