贫 pín poor
poor; needy; impoverished; lacking
怎么记住“贫”: 分 divide + 贝 sea shell = poor. Every evening the old fisherman divides his catch and the sea shells he sells among six children, and still the family stays poor.
部件结构
形声 · Meaning + sound
One part gives the meaning, the other gives the sound.
贫 = 分 divide + 贝 sea shell
- 分 divide meaning + sound
- 八 eight
- 刀 knife
- 贝 sea shell meaning
Every evening the old fisherman divides his catch and the sea shells he sells among six children, and still the family stays poor.
How it came to be
The shell gives the meaning and divide the sound; divide adds to the meaning too: wealth split until little is left.
用法
- Written-register character for poor. 贫穷 (pínqióng) poor, 贫困 (pínkùn) impoverished (贫困地区 poverty-stricken areas), 贫乏 (pínfá) lacking/scanty.
- 贫 also = deficient in a substance: 贫血 (pínxuè) anemia, 贫瘠 (pínjí) barren land.
- 贫 is the formal counterpart to spoken 穷 (qióng); you'd say 我很穷 in speech, but write 贫困人口 in a report.
含“贫”的词语
例句
- 他很贫穷。 Tā hěn pínqióng.He is very poor.