饥 (jī) - hunger & famine

饥Tone 1

jī ｜ 5 strokes ｜ radical: 饣

慧佳

饥 · jī

hunger;

famine;

starvation;

to be hungry

hungerfaminestarvation

Usage highlights

hungerfaminestarving peoplehungry stomachrelieve hungerhunger and cold

Synonyms

Antonyms

  • 饱— full, satiated
  • 足— sufficient, adequate

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The child is hungry (饥饿).
  • During the famine, many people starved (饥荒).
  • He felt hungry after working all day (饥肠辘辘).
  • Food relief was sent to the disaster area (饥民).

Collocations

  • hunger(饥饿)
  • famine(饥荒)
  • starving people(饥民)
  • hungry stomach(饥肠)
  • relieve hunger(充饥)
  • hunger and cold(饥寒)

Idioms

  • Hunger breeds discontentment(饥不择食)
  • Like wolves and tigers(饥狼饿虎)
  • Forgetting hunger and sleep(废寝忘食)
  • Hunger and cold交迫(饥寒交迫)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Historically associated with agricultural societies' vulnerability to crop failures and food shortages.
  • In Chinese philosophy, adequate food supply is considered fundamental to social stability.
  • Frequent famines in Chinese history made '饥' a significant character in historical records.

FAQ