乞丐 qǐgài beggar
How to remember 乞丐: 乞 to beg + 丐 beggar = beggar.
Characters
How it is used
- The plain noun for a beggar - 街边的乞丐 (jiē biān de qǐgài) a beggar by the street.
- Neutral-to-blunt register; a more colloquial/derogatory word is 要饭的 (yàofàn de, 'one who begs for food').
- For the act of begging use the verbs 乞讨 or 乞求, not 乞丐.
Example sentences
- 我不是乞丐。 Wǒ búshì qǐgài.I'm not a beggar.