About
The traditional character "窮", structurally formed by the "cave" radical atop a component suggesting a bent or bowing figure, originally encapsulated the concept of reaching a physical limit or being confined, which informed its early meanings of exhaustion and terminus. This etymological foundation, emphasizing constraint and extremity, gradually extended through metaphorical use to describe the depletion of material resources, thereby solidifying its association with poverty. The simplified form "穷", which replaces the lower element with the character for "force" or "effort" while retaining the "cave" radical, presents a modified graphical interpretation that nonetheless preserves the core notions of lack and reaching an end, demonstrating how the character's essential semantics have persisted across its variations.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
他的家很穷。
穷人应该得到帮助。
贫穷不是罪过。
宇宙是无穷的。
他们穷得没有钱上学。
他穷尽一生追求梦想。
尽管生活穷困，他们却充满希望。
在资源穷乏的地区，发展经济尤为困难。