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贫民窟 (pín mín kū) — slum

Definition

noun
slum
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 贫民窟，。
    Tā cóng xiǎo zài pín mín kū zhǎng dà, shēng huó hěn jiān kǔ.
    He grew up in a slum and had a very hard life.
  • 贫民窟。
    Zhèng fǔ zhèng zài gǎi shàn pín mín kū de jī chǔ shè shī.
    The government is improving the infrastructure of the slums.
  • 贫民窟。
    Zhè ge chéng shì de pín mín kū zhèng zài zhú jiàn jiǎn shǎo.
    The slums in this city are gradually decreasing.

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.

贫民poor people
贫pínpoor民mínpeople
偏正Modifier + head
窟kūden

“贫民” means poor people, and “窟” means den; together they refer to a den of poor people.

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 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The early form of 民 shows an eye pierced by a sharp cross-shaped implement, possibly linked to an injured or unclear eye.

Open 民 →

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
穴穴xuéhole; cave
Sound part声符shēngfú
屈
屈qū窟
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

窟 is built from 穴 (hole; cave) plus 屈, which supplies the sound. The shape therefore marks a cave-like hole pronounced like 屈.

Open 窟 →
Appears in
City & Urban

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