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馑 is a phono-semantic compound: the simplified food radical 饣 (from 食) on the left indicates the meaning relates to food, while the right side 堇 gives the pronunciation jǐn and adds the connotation of scarcity. The traditional form is 饉, restoring the full radical 食. Historically, the character referred specifically to a poor vegetable harvest or a local famine caused by secondary crop failure. In modern Chinese, it is used almost exclusively in the compound 饥馑 (jījǐn), denoting widespread starvation and severe food shortages.
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