馁 něi famished
famished; hungry; starving
How to remember 馁: 饣 food + 妥 suitable = famished. The hikers lock their food in a box suitable for bear country, then lose the key and are soon famished.
Component breakdown
形声 · Meaning + sound
One part gives the meaning, the other gives the sound.
馁 = 饣 food + 妥 suitable
- 饣 food meaning
- 妥 suitable sound
The hikers lock their food in a box suitable for bear country, then lose the key and are soon famished.
How it came to be
Food gives the meaning and the sign for suitable the sound.
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.