About
The character "饥", representing hunger or famine, is constructed from the semantic component "饣", a simplified form of "食" meaning food, and the phonetic component "几". Its traditional counterparts are "飢", which specifically indicated personal hunger, and "饑", denoting crop failure or widespread famine. Etymologically, the "几" in "飢" served a phonetic role, while the "食" radical anchored the meaning to food and consumption. Over centuries, the semantic distinction between these two traditional characters gradually faded, leading to their merger into the single form "饥", which now encompasses both concepts of individual hunger and large-scale food scarcity.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
我饿了，有点饥饿。
长时间的饥饿对健康有害。
战争导致那个国家发生饥荒。
那场旱灾使许多人处于饥寒交迫之中。
饥不择食的时候，人们什么都吃。
我们必须关注全球的饥饿与贫困问题。
饥肠辘辘的他赶紧吃了一碗面。
历史上，严重的饥馑往往引发社会动荡。