丐

匃/匄

gài

Frequency#2606

Definitions

gài to beg for alms; beggar

gài variant of 丐[gài]

Etymology

Depicts the blade of a knife. Similar in origin to 亡 and 方. Based on the original meaning "cut". The current meaning is a phonetic loan.

About

The character "丐" derives from the concept of begging, with its traditional form structurally analyzed as comprising the component "勹", suggesting a bent or enclosing shape, and "亡", indicating loss or deprivation, which together depict the state of a beggar. Etymologically, it has consistently denoted the act of begging or a beggar, and its meaning has not shifted significantly over time, while the character's composition has remained essentially unchanged in its standard representation.

Etymology Hide

Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)

Bronze Mid Western Zhou (~900 BC)

Bronze Late Western Zhou (~800 BC)

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

路边有个乞丐。

Lù biān yǒu gè qǐgài.

There is a beggar by the roadside.

那个乞丐很可怜。

Nà gè qǐgài hěn kělián.

That beggar is very pitiful.

乞丐向行人乞讨。

Qǐgài xiàng xíngrén qǐtǎo.

The beggar begs from pedestrians.

每天都有乞丐在这里。

Měi tiān dōu yǒu qǐgài zài zhèlǐ.

Every day there are beggars here.

人们有时会帮助乞丐。

Rénmen yǒushí huì bāngzhù qǐgài.

People sometimes help beggars.

丐帮是小说中的组织。

Gàibāng shì xiǎoshuō zhōng de zǔzhī.

The Beggars' Sect is an organization in novels.

虽然他是乞丐，但很有尊严。

Suīrán tā shì qǐgài, dàn hěn yǒu zūnyán.

Although he is a beggar, he has dignity.

现代社会仍存在乞丐现象。

Xiàndài shèhuì réng cúnzài qǐgài xiànxiàng.

In modern society, the phenomenon of beggars still exists.

Related Characters

Composed characters:

Component: 丐

丐