rising precipitously, rising steeply
巉 centers on a sharp, dramatic upward rise: a mountain or cliff that juts up precipitously and steeply.
巉 combines 山 (mountain) with 毚, which likely contributes the sound and the idea of sharpness or steepness. The exact historical development of 毚 is uncertain.
The left side is 山 (mountain), and the right side 毚 looks like a jagged, steep peak with sharp angles. Picture a mountain that rises so abruptly it looks like a sheer wall.
For ザン, imagine a mountain so steep that climbers can only zan (a sharp, cutting sound) their way up with ice axes: zan -> ザン, and the mountain rises precipitously.
—
near-vertical cliff or peak