The word "贫困" is formed by combining the character "贫", meaning poverty, which itself is composed of the radical "贝" (shell/money) and "分" (divide), suggesting depleted resources, with the character "困", meaning hardship, composed of "囗" (enclosure) and "木" (tree), suggesting confinement or struggle. Together, they semantically merge to denote the state of being impoverished or experiencing destitution.