馁 něi famished
famished; hungry; starving
怎么记住“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.
部件结构
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.
用法
- 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.