The word "穷鬼" is formed by combining the character "穷", meaning poor, which is itself composed of the radical "穴" (cave) and "力" (force), historically suggesting hardship or destitution, with the character "鬼", meaning ghost, a pictographic representation of a spirit. In this compound, "穷" modifies "鬼" to create the literal meaning "poor ghost", used figuratively as a colloquial term for an impoverished person.