Meaning of 穷
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- poor
- destitute
- to use up
- to exhaust
- thoroughly
- extremely
- (coll.) persistently and pointlessly
How to use 穷
穷 most often means poor in money, as in 穷人 (qióngrén, poor people). It can also mean used up or endless, as in 无穷 (wúqióng, boundless). Example: 他小时候家里很穷。(Tā xiǎoshíhou jiālǐ hěn qióng.) His family was very poor when he was young.
穷 (qióng) has 穴 (xué, cave) on top and 力 (lì, strength) below. Picture someone who has used up all their strength and can only live in a cave. That is being poor and at the end of your resources.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 穷 (qióng) with 究 (jiū), which also has 穴 on top but 九 below instead of 力. Also keep the second tone in qióng. Do not say it like the fourth tone.
穷 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
穷 qióng · poor · 7 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 穷.
| 穷人 | qióngrén | poor people; the poor |
| 贫穷 | pínqióng | poor; impoverished |
| 无穷 | wúqióng | endless; boundless |
| 层出不穷 | céngchū-bùqióng | more and more emerge; innumerable succession |
| 穷光蛋 | qióngguāngdàn | poor wretch; pauper |
| 穷鬼 | qióngguǐ | (vulgar) impoverished person; the poor |
| 无穷无尽 | wúqióngwújìn | (idiom) endless; boundless; infinite |
| 穷追不舍 | qióngzhuībùshě | to pursue relentlessly |
Questions about 穷
What does 穷 mean?
穷 (qióng) means "poor; destitute" and is used as a adjective.
How do you write 穷?
穷 is made of 1 character: 穷 (7 strokes). That is 7 strokes in total.
Is 穷 an HSK word?
Yes. 穷 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 穷 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 穷 is written 窮.
What is the difference between 穷 and 贫穷?
穷 is short and casual, and you will hear it in everyday speech like 我很穷 (wǒ hěn qióng). 贫穷 (pínqióng) is more formal and is used in writing or when talking about poverty as a social issue.
Is it rude to call someone 穷?
Saying someone is 穷 directly can sound blunt, and words like 穷鬼 (qióngguǐ) or 穷光蛋 (qióngguāngdàn) are insulting or joking. People often joke about themselves being 穷, but use care when talking about others.