贫困线 (pín kùn xiàn) — poverty line

Definition

The income threshold below which a person or family is officially considered 'poor'. Common in news, policy, and economics — you will see it paired with 以下 (below) or 超过 (above).

noun
poverty line
Measure word · 条

Examples

  • 贫困线。
    Zhè ge guó jiā de pín kùn xiàn zài zhú nián tí gāo.
    The poverty line in this country is rising year by year.
  • 贫困线。
    Zhèng fǔ de mù biāo shì ràng suǒ yǒu jiā tíng dōu chāo guò pín kùn xiàn.
    The government's goal is for all families to be above the poverty line.
  • 贫困线。
    Shēng huó zài pín kùn xiàn yǐ xià de rén xū yào dé dào bāng zhù.
    People living below the poverty line need to get help.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

贫困poverty
贫pínpoor困kùnneedy
联合Side by side
线xiànline

贫 means poor and 困 means needy, forming poverty, while 线 means line marks the threshold.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 貧; 贫 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
貝貝bèimoney
Sound part声符shēngfú
分
分fēn貧pín
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 貧 has 分 above 貝, a money part. 分 gives the sound and means 'divide', giving the image of dividing one's money; the simplified 贫 is a later shorthand.

Open 贫 →

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 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 線; 线 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
糹Written in full as糸mì
Sound part声符shēngfú
泉
泉quán線xiàn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 線 uses 糹 (silk/thread) to show the meaning and 泉 to suggest the sound; the simplified 线 is a later shorthand.

Open 线 →

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