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贫困 (pín kùn) — poor, impoverished

Definition

Formal/written word for 'impoverished,' usually describing regions or households. 贫穷 is a close synonym, slightly more literary; 穷 is the everyday spoken word.

adjective
poorimpoverished

Examples

  • 贫困。
    Nà ge dì qū réng rán fēi cháng pín kùn.
    That region is still very poor.
  • 贫困。
    Zhèng fǔ zhèng zài nǔ lì bāng zhù pín kùn jiā tíng.
    The government is working hard to help impoverished families.
  • 贫困。
    pín kùn De shēng huó ràng rén gèng jiā jiān qiáng.
    A life of poverty makes people stronger.

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
困kùnhardship

贫 means lacking wealth and 困 means hardship; together they describe being poor and distressed.

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 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 6HSK 2.0 Level 6Society & Public Life

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