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匮, simplified from 匱, is a phono-semantic compound. The outer radical 匚 (fāng), a pictograph of a box, suggests a container, while 贵 (guì) supplies the sound. Originally, the character denoted a chest or cabinet for valuables, a concrete meaning later transferred to the distinct character 柜. After that shift, 匮 took on the abstract sense of emptiness and, by extension, severe deficiency or depletion of resources. In modern Chinese it is used exclusively for this idea of scarcity, most often in formal compounds like 匮乏 (deficient, lacking).
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Example Sentences Hide
这个地区资源匮乏。
公司目前人才匮乏。
他的知识很匮乏。
水资源日益匮竭。
能源匮缺问题严重。
在贫困地区，物资匮缺是常态。
如果资金继续匮竭，项目将停止。
长期的情感匮乏会影响心理健康。
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