绝
jué · HSK 6
extremely
✂️ silk (纟) severed by a knife — cut off completely, hence absolutely
The traditional form 絕 combines silk threads with a blade. Cutting every last thread means total and complete — so 绝 came to mean extremely or absolutely.
绝 — silk 纟 + 巴 (phonetic-ish, knife cutting threads)
绝 originally depicted cutting silk threads with a knife, conveying the idea of severing or cutting off completely. From this concrete sense it extended to mean 'to break off,' 'exhausted,' and figuratively 'absolute' or 'extreme.' The simplified form replaced the older right-hand component with 巴.