穷 qióng exhausted; poor
Made up of [穴 xué cave; cavity; hole radical 116, 力 lì strength radical 19]Alternative traditional form of character: 窮
Made with 7 strokes.
The idea of poverty can be thought of living by exertion/strength in a cave
Related characters
Also uses 穴 xué component: 空 kòng (to empty) 窄 xué (narrow)
Also uses 力 lì component: 边 biān (side) 动 dòng (to use) 功 gōng (accomplishment) 咖 kā (coffee) 劳 láo (to toil) 历 lì (to experience) 另 lìng (other) 男 nán (male) 苏 sū (revive) 为 wèi (do) 务 wù (affair)
Pronunciation
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Proverbs
黔驴技穷 qián lǖ jì qiong Even a clever donkey can not solve the problem. The story is that Guizhou province had no donkeys. A man brought a donkey there and having no further use for it set it free. The tiger then spotted the donkey and was scared of the new monster, but seeing it do very little but kick it killed and ate it. So it means being in desperate circumstances with no real options left山穷水尽 shān qióng shuǐ jìn Thirsty and starving; destitute
日暮途穷 rì mù tú qióng The end game is upon us.
图穷匕见 tú qióng bǐ xiàn A secret plan is revealed, a conspiracy unmasked. The story is of an assassination attempt on the King of Qin back in the Warring States Period. Pretending to cede territory Prince Dan concealed a dagger in a scrolled up map.
一穷二白 yī qióng èr bái A disparaging term for backwardness