贫 (pín): poor
贫 (pín) is a Chinese character meaning “poor.” Classified as HSK Level 6 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 分 (structural) and 贝 (structural). It ranks #1351 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 贫 money 贝 that must be split 分; 分 also provides the pronunciation. Its radical form 贝 (shell) appears in many related characters such as 贵 (guì, expensive), 负 (fù, to bear), 责 (zé, responsibility).
Definitions
- poor
Etymology & Origin
ideographicMoney 贝 that must be split 分; 分 also provides the pronunciation
Decomposition: ⿱分贝 (layout: top-bottom)
Stroke Order
Practice writing 贫 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 贫
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 贫穷adjective | pín qióng | poor |
| 贫民窟noun | pín mín kū | slum housing |
| 贫民区noun | pín mín qū | slum area |
| 贫血noun | pín xuè | anemia |
| 贫民noun | pín mín | poor people |
| 一贫如洗phrase | yī pín rú xǐ | (idiom) penniless |
| 贫苦adjective | pín kǔ | poverty-stricken |
| 贫富noun | pín fù | poor and rich |
| 贫乏adjective | pín fá | impoverished |
| 贫嘴adjective | pín zuǐ | talkative |
| 贫瘠adjective | pín jí | barren |
| 贫寒adjective | pín hán | poor |
| 劫富济贫phrase | jié fù jì pín | (idiom) to rob the rich to help the poor |
| 清贫adjective | qīng pín | poor but upright |
| 赤贫adjective | chì pín | poverty-stricken |
贫 appears in 76 compound words: 57 as the first character, 20 as the last, and 24 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 贫 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (12)
to be contented with living in poverty and take delight in abiding by moral principles
to be contented with living in poverty and take delight in abiding by moral principles
Example Sentences
贫困地区需要更多的帮助和支持。
Pínkùn dìqū xūyào gèng duō de bāngzhù hé zhīchí.
Impoverished areas need more help and support.
1美元吃2餐! 中国青年“生存性贫穷”状况曝光
1 měi yuán chī 2 cān ! zhōng guó qīng nián shēng cún xìng pín qióng zhuàng kuàng pù guāng
Two Meals for $1! China’s Youth Facing “Existential Poverty”
...─无产阶级篇】社会学观察...资讯断层 贫富差距的新警讯
. . . wú chǎn jiē jí piān shè huì xué guàn chá . . . zī xùn duàn céng pín fù chā jù de xīn jǐng xùn
...─The Proletariat Series] Sociological Observations... Information Gap: A New Warning Sign of the Wealth Gap
纽约市2024年贫困率高达全美平均两倍
niǔ yuē shì 2 0 2 4 nián pín kùn lǜ gāo dá quán měi píng jūn liǎng bèi
New York City's poverty rate in 2024 was twice the national average
汶航斋月行善暖人心系列义举惠及贫户与孤儿
汶 háng 斋 yuè háng shàn nuǎn rén xīn xì liè yì jǔ huì jí pín hù yǔ gū ér
Wenhang's Series of Charitable Acts During Ramadan Warms Hearts, Benefiting the Poor and Orphans
...人—阿育娅陈丽君背景起底 茶农出身家境清贫越剧出道磨练10年
. . . rén ā yù 娅 chén lí jūn bèi jǐng qǐ de chá nóng chū shēn jiā jìng qīng pín yuè jù chū dào mó liàn nián
... People - Ayuya Chen Lijun background doxxing Tea farmer was born in a poor family, and debuted in Yue Opera for 10 years
墨西哥有很多贫民窟。
Mòxīgē yǒu hěn duō pínmínkū.
There are many slums in Mexico.
黑麦被称为贫穷的谷物。
Hēimài bèi chēngwéi pínqióng de gǔwù.
Rye was called the grain of poverty.
日本自然资源贫乏。
Rìběn zìránzīyuán pínfá.
Japan is poor in natural resources.
这个家庭非常贫穷以至于无法偿还贷款。
Zhège jiātíng fēicháng pínqióng yǐzhìyú wúfǎ chánghuán dàikuǎn.
The family is too poor to pay back the debts.
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
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