穷 qióng poor
poor; exhausted
How to remember 穷: 穴 hole + 力 power = poor. In his damp hole of a flat, the young artist has no power left to paint, because he is really poor.
Component breakdown
穷 = 穴 hole + 力 power
- 穴 hole
- 力 power
In his damp hole of a flat, the young artist has no power left to paint, because he is really poor.
How it is used
- Everyday adjective for "poor" (lacking money): 穷人 (qióngrén) - a poor person.
- 贫 (pín) is the more formal/written synonym, seen in compounds like 贫穷 (pínqióng) and 贫困 (pínkùn); 穷 is what you'd actually say out loud.
- Also extends non-literally to "endless/exhausted": 无穷 (wúqióng, endless) and the idiom 层出不穷 (céngchū-bùqióng, emerging one after another without end).
Words with 穷
Example sentences
- 他很贫穷。 Tā hěn pínqióng.He is very poor.