贫

貧

pín

分 + 贝

Definitions

pín (adjective) poor; impoverished

pín (adjective) inadequate; deficient

Etymology

Money 贝 that must be split 分; 分 also provides the pronunciation

About

贫 (traditional form 貧) is a phono-semantic compound. The lower element 貝 represents cowrie shells, which circulated as ancient currency, and therefore conveys the idea of money or wealth. The upper element 分 serves a dual purpose: it provides the character's pronunciation and also means 'divide' or 'separate'. The two components suggest that dividing wealth results in poverty, the core meaning 'poor, impoverished'. Later, this notion of deficiency broadened beyond economics to describe anything that is lacking in quantity or quality.

Etymology Hide

Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

这个地区很贫困。

Zhège dìqū hěn pínkùn.

This area is very poor.

贫困会影响健康。

Pínkùn huì yǐngxiǎng jiànkāng.

Poverty can affect health.

政府努力帮助贫民。

Zhèngfǔ nǔlì bāngzhù pínmín.

The government strives to help the poor.

教育资源在贫困地区匮乏。

Jiàoyù zīyuán zài pínkùn dìqū kuìfá.

Educational resources are scarce in poor areas.

脱贫是许多家庭的目标。

Tuōpín shì xǔduō jiātíng de mùbiāo.

Lifting out of poverty is the goal of many families.

贫富差距是一个社会问题。

Pín fù chājù shì yī gè shèhuì wèntí.

The gap between rich and poor is a social issue.

尽管物质贫乏，精神却可以丰富。

Jǐnguǎn wùzhì pínfá, jīngshén què kěyǐ fēngfù.

Although material conditions are poor, the spirit can be rich.

通过科技创新，可以有效缓解贫困。

Tōngguò kējì chuàngxīn, kěyǐ yǒuxiào huǎnjiě pínkùn.

Through technological innovation, poverty can be effectively alleviated.

Related Characters

Component: 分

Component: 贝

贫