行乞 (xíng qǐ) — to beg (for food or alms)

Definition

行乞 (xíng qǐ) is the formal/literary verb meaning 'to beg (for food or alms)' — used in writing, news, and historical contexts rather than daily speech. It functions as a verb-object phrase meaning literally 'to carry out begging'.

verb
to beg (for food or alms)

Examples

  • 行乞。
    Tā zài jiē tóu xíng qǐ.
    He is begging on the street.
  • 行乞。
    Hěn duō rén yīn wèi pín kùn bù dé bù xíng qǐ.
    Many people have to beg because of poverty.
  • 行乞。
    Gǔ dài yǒu xiē sēng rén yǐ xíng qǐ wéi shēng.
    In ancient times, some monks made a living by begging.

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.

行xíngwalk; go
乞qǐbeg

“行” (walking about) specifies how “乞” (begging) is done, meaning to beg.

Characters in this word

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

  • 彳彳chì
  • 亍亍chù

The shape of 行 originally showed a street intersection, even on both sides. Later it became uneven, with 彳 on the left and 亍 on the right.

Open 行 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 乞 →

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