Origin

The character 傑 combines a person radical on the left, which marks it as relating to people, with the component 桀 on the right that serves as a sound hint for pronunciation. The right side, which originally depicted a person standing prominently above others, suggests the visual idea of standing out or towering above the rest. Over time, this visual sense of standing above others became associated with the meaning of excellence and greatness. So while the sound hint tells you how to say the character, the overall shape hints at someone who rises above the crowd—someone exceptional.