饥 jī hungry
hungry; starving; hunger; famine
怎么记住“饥”: 饣 food + 几 how many = hungry. The kids have lost count of how many hours they have gone without food on the long hike, and by noon they are all hungry.
部件结构
形声 · Meaning + sound
One part gives the meaning, the other gives the sound.
饥 = 饣 food + 几 how many
- 饣 food meaning
- 几 how many sound
The kids have lost count of how many hours they have gone without food on the long hike, and by noon they are all hungry.
How it came to be
Food gives the meaning and the right part gives the sound.
用法
- Hunger/famine, written register. 饥饿 (jī'è) hunger: 忍受饥饿 (rěnshòu jī'è) to endure hunger. 饥荒 (jīhuang) a famine.
- 饥 is the formal noun/root; in everyday speech you say 我饿了 (wǒ è le) I'm hungry using 饿, not 饥. Idiom 饥不择食 (jī bù zé shí) a starving person isn't picky.