饥荒

饑荒

jīhuāng

noun #15,338

Meanings

1 famine
2 crop failure
3 debt; financial difficulty (colloquial)

Characters

hungry; starving

wasteland; famine; desolate

Examples

那场饥荒导致了数百万人死亡。

Nàchǎng jīhuāng dǎozhì le shùbǎiwàn rén sǐwáng.

That famine caused millions of deaths.

他欠了一大笔饥荒。

Tā qiàn le yīdà bǐ jīhuāng.

He owes a large debt.

Tips

usage

Beyond 'famine', 饥荒 colloquially means 'debt' in northern Chinese dialects — 拉饥荒 (lā jīhuāng) means 'to be in debt'. This usage is informal and regional.

Stroke Order

饥 jī

荒 huāng