殍 (piǎo) - To die of starvation & to perish from hunger

殍Tone 3

piǎo ｜ 11 strokes ｜ radical:

柠七

殍 · piǎo

To die of starvation;

to perish from hunger;

corpses of those who have starved to death.

To die of starvationto perish from hungercorpses of those who have starved to death.

Usage highlights

Starving corpsesFamine victimsBodies of the starvedFields full of famine victimsRoads filled with starving peopleWandering famine ghosts

Synonyms

  • 饿— hunger; starvation
  • 饥— famine; hunger
  • 死— death

Antonyms

  • 饱— full; satiated
  • 丰— abundant; plentiful
  • 裕— affluent; abundant

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • During the famine, many people starved to death (饿殍遍野).
  • The refugees were on the verge of starvation (饥殍载道).
  • The disaster left countless dead from hunger (野有饿殍).

Collocations

  • Starving corpses(饿殍)
  • Famine victims(饥殍)
  • Bodies of the starved(殍殣)
  • Fields full of famine victims(饿殍遍野)
  • Roads filled with starving people(饥殍载道)
  • Wandering famine ghosts(流殍)

Idioms

  • Fields full of the bodies of the starved(饿殍遍野)
  • Roads filled with famine victims(饥殍载道)
  • The starving turn to each other(饿殍相枕)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Historically associated with famines and natural disasters in Chinese history.
  • Represents one of the most tragic outcomes in traditional agricultural society.
  • Often used in classical texts to describe the severity of disasters and poor governance.

FAQ