About
The character 饥, combining the traditional forms 飢 and 饑, is a phono-semantic compound. Its left-side semantic radical 饣, derived from 食 (shí, food), ties the character to sustenance. The right-side component 几 (jī) provides the pronunciation, replacing the more complex 幾. At its core, the character expresses the physiological need for food, meaning hunger or starvation. Historically, the traditional forms distinguished between personal hunger (飢) and widespread famine (饑). The simplified character 饥 merges these related ideas, covering both individual starvation and large-scale food scarcity within a single, unified form.
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。