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The character 尽 (盡) originally depicted a hand holding a brush wiping a vessel clean, symbolizing 'to exhaust' or 'to use up completely.' In ancient bronze inscriptions, it showed a hand and a vessel being cleaned. The character evolved through seal script to its current simplified form 尽, maintaining the core meaning of completion and exhaustion. It conveys the philosophical concept of reaching the end or limit of something, as in 'to do one's utmost' (尽力) or 'exhaustion' (尽きる). Arrived in Japan: The character 尽 likely arrived in Japan during the 5th-6th centuries CE along with the broader introduction of Chinese writing system through Buddhist texts and cultural exchange. It became integrated into Japanese writing as part of the kanji system, appearing in early Japanese texts like the Manyoshu (8th century) and used in compounds such as 尽力 (jinryoku - effort) and 尽きる (tsukiru - to be exhausted).