饑 (jī) - Famine, severe hunger, starvation & refers to extreme food shortage and hunger.

饑Tone 1

jī ｜ 20 strokes ｜ radical:

慧佳

饑 · jī

Famine, severe hunger, starvation;

refers to extreme food shortage and hunger.

Famine, severe hunger, starvationrefers to extreme food shortage and hunger.

Usage highlights

FamineFamine yearFamine reliefFamine victimsFamine and starvationFamine refugees

Synonyms

  • 饥— hunger, famine (simplified/common variant)
  • 饿— hunger, starvation
  • 荒— famine, crop failure

Antonyms

  • 饱— full, satiated
  • 丰— abundant, plentiful
  • 足— sufficient, adequate

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The region suffered from severe famine (饥荒).
  • Many people died of starvation (饿死) during the famine.
  • Famine relief (赈饥) was urgently needed.
  • The famine years (饥馑之年) were devastating for the population.

Collocations

  • Famine(饥荒)
  • Famine year(饥年)
  • Famine relief(赈饥)
  • Famine victims(饥民)
  • Famine and starvation(饥馑)
  • Famine refugees(饥民)

Idioms

  • Like relieving a person on the verge of starvation(如饥似渴)
  • Draw cakes to allay hunger(画饼充饥)
  • Famine knows no filial piety(饥不择食)
  • Hunger breeds discontentment(饥寒交迫)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Historically associated with agricultural societies' vulnerability to crop failures and natural disasters.
  • Famines were major historical events that shaped Chinese demographic and political history.
  • The character appears in classical texts describing periods of great suffering and social unrest.

FAQ