cast-off skin; exuvia; empty shell
Refers to the shed skin of snakes, insects, etc. Also used metaphorically for something hollow or lifeless.
See also: もぬけ
A cicada's cast-off shell was left on the tree.
He sat there blankly, like an empty shell.
もぬけ is an older reading of the same kanji 蛻, often used in the phrase もぬけの殻 (empty shell, deserted). ぬけがら is the more common modern reading.
Standard spelling.
Variant using 脱.
Irregular okurigana usage.
Irregular okurigana usage.
Single kanji form; also read もぬけ.
Compound of 抜け (nuke, 'coming out') + 殻 (kara, 'shell'). The kanji 抜け殻 is the standard representation.