忍饥挨饿

忍飢挨餓

rěnjī-ái'è

idiom HSK 7-9

Meanings

Literally 'endure hunger, suffer starvation' — two synonymous pairs for emphasis

战争年代，很多人忍饥挨饿。

Zhànzhēng niándài, hěnduō rén rěnjī'ái'è.

During wartime, many people went hungry.

为了省钱，他经常忍饥挨饿。

Wèile shěngqián, tā jīngcháng rěnjī'ái'è.

To save money, he often went hungry.

usage

忍饥挨饿 is more literary and emphatic than simply saying 饿 (hungry). It emphasizes prolonged suffering from lack of food.

忍 rěn

饥 jī

挨 āi

饿 è