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困窘 (kùn jiǒng) — (stative verb) embarrassed, awkward (in a social situation); (stative verb) impoverished, in financial distress

Definition

Literary word that means both 'embarrassed/awkward' in social situations and 'in financial distress' — a single elevated term covering two quite different kinds of hardship.

adjective
(stative verb) embarrassedawkward (in a social situation)(stative verb) impoverishedin financial distress

Examples

  • 困窘。
    Tā yīn wèi shuō cuò huà ér gǎn dào shí fēn kùn jiǒng.
    He felt very embarrassed because he said the wrong thing.
  • 困窘。
    Nà duàn shí jiān tā men jiā shēng huó shí fēn kùn jiǒng.
    During that period, their family lived in great poverty.
  • ，困窘。
    Miàn duì zhè me duō rén de zhì wèn, tā xiǎn de hěn kùn jiǒng.
    Facing so many people's questions, she seemed very embarrassed.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

困kùndistressed
窘jiǒngembarrassed

困 and 窘 both describe being stuck or embarrassed, so the word means distressed or awkward.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

  • 囗囗wéisurround
  • 木木mùwood

困 is drawn as 木 (wood) enclosed by 囗 (surround). The evidence says this was probably the original form of a word meaning 'doorsill'.

Open 困 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 窘 →
Appears in
Emotions & Feelings

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