noun
A railing or protective barrier on a bridge, veranda, balcony, corridor, or similar structure. For an everyday handrail inside a building, 手すり is often the more ordinary word.
橋の欄干にもたれて川を眺めた。
I leaned on the bridge railing and looked at the river.
寺
The temple corridor has vermilion-lacquered railings.
taru-adjective, adverb taking the 'to' particle
shining brightly; brightly gleaming
Only when written 欄干 / 闌干
Archaic literary taru-adjective/adverbial use, chiefly for the moon or stars shining brightly. In modern Japanese it is mainly encountered in old-style poetic expressions rather than everyday speech.
古い詩文の「星斗闌干として輝く」は、星が明るく光る様子を表す。
The old poetic phrase “the stars shine rankan to” describes stars gleaming brightly.
taru-adjective, adverb taking the 'to' particle
flowing endlessly; streaming down
Only when written 欄干 / 闌干
Archaic literary taru-adjective/adverbial use for tears flowing without end. It is not a normal modern everyday way to describe crying.
古い文章の「涙闌干として頬をぬらす」は、涙がとめどなく流れる様子を表す。
The old expression “tears flow rankan to and wet the cheeks” describes tears streaming endlessly.