Chinese word

乞丐

Pronunciation

Pinyinqǐ gài

Meaning

  • nounbeggar

Example

街角有个乞丐在要钱。jiē jiǎo yǒu gè qǐ gài zài yào qián

There is a beggar at the street corner asking for money.

Illustration for 乞丐 (beggar)

More examples

他把零钱给了门口的乞丐。tā bǎ líng qián gěi le mén kǒu de qǐ gài

He gave some change to the beggar at the entrance.

Core concept

A person in a public place who relies on strangers for food or money.

Common phrases

  • 街角的乞丐jiē jiǎo de qǐ gài

    beggar at the street corner

  • 流浪的乞丐liú làng de qǐ gài

    beggar who wanders

  • 乞丐要饭qǐ gài yào fàn

    beggar asks for food

Similar words

乞讨者qí táo zhě: A person who solicits money or useful items from people in the street.
无家可归者wú jiā kě guī zhě: A person who has no home and lives in public places or temporary shelter.

Definition in Chinese

在街头或公共场所向他人乞求钱财或食物的人。zài jiē tóu huò gōng gòng cháng suǒ xiàng tā rén qǐ qiú qián cái huò shí wù de rén

Word origin

乞 (qǐ, "beg") + 丐 (gài, "beg for alms") form a compound for a person who asks others for basic needs.

Usage tips

  • In everyday conversation, this noun can sound blunt when it is aimed at a particular person, so a neutral description is safer in polite speech.

Other meanings

  • panhandlernoun

Opposites

  • 富人fù rénwealthy personnoun
  • 有钱人yǒu qián rénrich personnoun

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