饥饿 (jī è) — hungry, starving | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A stronger, more literary word for 'hungry, starving' than the everyday 饿 — used for serious hunger or famine, less common in casual talk.

adjective

hungrystarving

饥饿。
jī è De dòng wù zài xuě dì lǐ zhǎo shí wù.
The hungry animals are looking for food in the snow.
。
Tā yīn wèi cháng shí jiān méi yǒu chī fàn ér gǎn dào shí fēn.
He felt extremely hungry because he hadn't eaten for a long time.
，。
Zài de qíng kuàng xià, rén hěn nán jí zhōng zhù yì lì.
Under conditions of hunger, it's hard for people to concentrate.

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

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

饿èstarving

Both 饥 and 饿 refer to being hungry, so the word names a strong state of starvation.

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 飢; 饥 is its simplified writing.

The simplified 饥 stands for more than one traditional character. In most words (饥饿) it is 飢; in others it is 饑.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

几

Same sound today

The traditional form 飢 uses 食 for food and 几 for the sound; the simplified 饥 is a shorthand.

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 餓; 饿 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

我

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 餓 is made from 食, a food part, and 我, a sound part.

Appears in