About
The character 馑 is a phono-semantic compound, with the food radical 饣 on the left providing the semantic category of sustenance, and the phonetic component 堇 on the right indicating its pronunciation "jǐn". Its traditional form is 饉, which uses the full food radical 食 alongside the same phonetic element. Historically, it specifically denoted a poor vegetable harvest or a localized famine from failed secondary crops. In modern Chinese, it is found almost exclusively in the compound "饥馑" (jījǐn), which signifies widespread starvation and severe food shortages.
Etymology Hide
