贫困

pín kùn

impoverished; poverty-stricken

HSK Level 6

Example Sentences

中国政府正在努力减少贫困人口的数量。

Zhōngguó zhèngfǔ zhèngzài nǔlì jiǎnshǎo pínkùn rénkǒu de shùliàng.

The Chinese government is working hard to reduce the number of people living in poverty.

贫困是导致许多社会问题的根源。

Pínkùn shì dǎozhì xǔduō shèhuì wèntí de gēnyuán.

Poverty is the root cause of many social problems.

我们应该帮助贫困的人们改善他们的生活条件。

Wǒmen yīnggāi bāngzhù pínkùn de rénmen gǎishàn tāmen de shēnghuó tiáojiàn.

We should help the poor improve their living conditions.

Synonyms

赤贫 (chìpín)

destitute

穷困 (qióngkùn)

impoverished

Antonyms

富裕 (fùyù)

affluent

富有 (fùyǒu)

wealthy

Etymology & Components

The Chinese word 贫困 (pínkùn) for "poverty" is composed of two characters: 贫 (pín), meaning "poor," and 困 (kùn), meaning "difficult" or "distressed." Together, these characters convey the idea of being in a state of material want and hardship.The character 贫 (pín) is composed of two parts: the radical 亻(rén), which represents a person, and the phonetic component 宾 (bīn), which is related to the idea of "lacking" or "being in need." The character 困 (kùn) is composed of the radical 困 (kùn), which represents a person trapped in a net, and the phonetic component 昆 (kūn), which is related to the idea of "being bound" or "restricted."When combined, the characters 贫 (pín) and 困 (kùn) create the word 贫困 (pínkùn), which vividly captures the experience of poverty as a state of both material deprivation and personal distress. It is a powerful word that reflects the challenges and hardships faced by those living in poverty.

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