穷

窮
qióng
HSK 4
#1,341 most
frequent character
exhausted, poor
adjective

Character breakdown

Source: Make Me a Hanzi.

穷 qióng puts 穴 hole, empty and 力 strength, effort together. The first sense was poverty and hardship. From there it grew to using everything up, reaching the limit, and being thorough.

Ask DeepSeek

Example Sentences

他最近穷得可怜。
tā zuìjìn qióng dé kělián 。
He has been poor and miserable lately.
穷人需要帮助。
qióngrén xūyào bāngzhù 。
Poor people need help.
我感觉非常穷，没有钱买东西。
wǒ gǎnjué fēicháng qióng ， méiyǒu qián mǎidōngxī 。
I feel very poor, I have no money to buy things.

Words with similar meanings

贫困pínkùn
impoverished
A more formal term referring to a state of severe poverty.
穷苦qióngkǔ
destitute
Emphasizes extreme poverty, typically lacking basic necessities.

Your word lists

Sign in to add this word to your private lists.