taru-adjective, adverb taking the 'to' particle
Literary bound form used with たる or と to describe a situation or sight that is shockingly bad, miserable, or horrifying. Not used in everyday conversation; typical in written narratives.
The appalling sight of the battlefield comes to mind.
It was an incident so dreadful that one cannot bear to speak of it.
tragic; miserable; disastrous
disaster; tragedy; horrible accident
tragedy; tragic event
disastrous scene; terrible spectacle
ghastly; gruesome; appalling; lurid
gloomy; dreary; somber
miserable; tragic; wretched · painstaking; with great effort
calamity; disaster; catastrophe
heavy damage; havoc; ravages
wretched state; pitiable condition
horrible; cruel; atrocious
terrible pain; terrible hardship; terrible suffering
slump; sharp fall; plunge
heartbreaking story; tragic tale
atrocity; cruelty; brutality
terrible worry; extreme anxiety
Standard kanji form for this bound adjective/adverb.
The kanji 惨 carries meanings of 'miserable' and 'cruel'. The reading さん is the on'yomi, used in literary compounds and bound forms. The exact historical derivation of the bound adjectival use is uncertain, but it follows classical Chinese-influenced patterns.