贫 (pín) — poor, impoverished (in compounds); inadequate, deficient (in compounds); (in compounds) garrulous, loquacious; also used as a humble self-address by monks and priests
Definition
贫 (pín) is a bound form meaning 'poor/impoverished' (e.g. 贫困), and in Buddhist terms a monk's self-address (贫僧 'this poor monk'), distinct from its unrelated meaning 'talkative' in 贫嘴.
bound form
poorimpoverished (in compounds)inadequatedeficient (in compounds)(in compounds) garrulousloquaciousalso used as a humble self-address by monks and priests
Examples
- ，。Zhè ge dì qū hěn pín kùn, xū yào bāng zhù.This region is very poor and needs help.
- 。Tā yīn wèi pín xuè jīng cháng tóu yūn.She often feels dizzy because of anemia.
- 贫。Nà ge hé shàng zì chēng pín sēng.That monk calls himself 'this humble monk'.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost 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.
Appears in
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