馁 něi famished
famished; hungry; starving
How to remember 馁: 饣 food + 妥 secure = famished. The hikers lock their food in a secure box against bears, then lose the key and are soon famished.
Component breakdown
馁 = 饣 food + 妥 secure
- 饣 food
- 妥 secure
The hikers lock their food in a secure box against bears, then lose the key and are soon famished.
How it is used
- Bound character meaning to lose heart; its one everyday home is 气馁 (qìněi) to be discouraged, get disheartened - 遇到挫折别气馁 (yùdào cuòzhé bié qìněi) don't lose heart when you hit setbacks.
- You almost never see 馁 alone; think of it as the 'deflate' half of 气馁, the opposite of 鼓起勇气 (gǔqǐ yǒngqì, to work up courage).
- The 'famished' gloss is classical and effectively dead in modern speech - treat it as a discouragement word.