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贫苦 (pín kǔ) — poverty-stricken, destitute

Definition

adjective
poverty-strickendestitute

Examples

  • 贫苦。
    Tā cóng xiǎo shēng huó zài pín kǔ de jiā tíng lǐ.
    He grew up in a poverty-stricken family.
  • 贫苦，。
    Nà ge dì qū fēi cháng pín kǔ, hěn duō rén chī bù bǎo.
    That area is very destitute; many people don't have enough to eat.
  • 贫苦。
    Zhèng fǔ bāng zhù pín kǔ de nóng mín gǎi shàn shēng huó.
    The government helps poverty-stricken farmers improve their lives.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

贫pínpoor
苦kǔhard

贫 and 苦 combine the ideas of poor and hard, describing a poverty-stricken life.

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 →

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

Meaning part形符xíngfú
艸艸cǎograss
Sound part声符shēngfú
古
古gǔ苦kǔ
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The top 艸 shows grass or plants, matching the sense of bitter plants. The bottom 古 gives the sound.

Open 苦 →
Appears in
Good & BadSociety & Public Life

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