taru-adjective, adverb taking the 'to' particle
Literary たる adjective describing a deeply pitiful, tragic, or horrible state. Often used in written or formal contexts.
戦場の惨憺たる光景に言葉を失った。
I was speechless at the miserable scene of the battlefield.
taru-adjective, adverb taking the 'to' particle
Almost exclusively used in the set phrase 苦心惨憺 (くしんさんたん), meaning 'after much painstaking effort'. Rarely appears independently.
See also: 苦心惨憺
苦心惨憺の末、ようやく新製品を完成させた。
After painstaking effort, they finally completed the new product.
From Chinese 慘澹 (cǎndàn), meaning 'gloomy' or 'miserable'. The Japanese reading さんたん is the on'yomi of the kanji.