Chinese word

忍饥挨饿

Pronunciation

Pinyinrěn jī ái è

Meaning

  • verbgo hungry

Example

留学生为了省钱，只能忍饥挨饿。liú xué shēng wèi le shěng qián zhǐ néng rěn jī ái è

The international student had no choice but to go hungry to save money.

Illustration for 忍饥挨饿 (go hungry)

More examples

战乱地区的居民常常被迫忍饥挨饿。zhàn luàn dì qū de jū mín cháng cháng bèi pò rěn jī ái è

Residents of war-torn areas are often forced to go hungry.

Core concept

Limited means leave food out of reach, while endurance becomes the response to a need that cannot be quickly relieved.

Common phrases

  • 不得不忍饥挨饿bù dé bù rěn jī ái è

    have no choice but to go hungry

  • 被迫忍饥挨饿bèi pò rěn jī ái è

    be forced to go hungry

Similar words

饥饿jī è: Suffer severe hunger when too little food is available.
挨饿ái è: Go without food and suffer hunger because food cannot be obtained.
忍饥rěn jī: Endure hunger when eating is not possible.

Definition in Chinese

被迫忍受饥饿，多用于表示因贫困或困苦而无法充足进食。bèi pò rěn shòu jī è duō yòng yú biǎo shì yīn pín kùn huò kùn kǔ ér wú fǎ chōng zú jìn shí

Word origin

In this set phrase, 忍 (rěn, "endure") and 挨 (ái, "suffer") are both verbs of enduring, while 饥 (jī, "hunger") and 饿 (è, "be hungry") point to hunger, making the hardship vivid.

Usage tips

  • For native English speakers, the casual exaggeration "I'm starving" is not a good guide to this idiom, which normally frames serious hardship rather than ordinary appetite.

Opposites

  • 吃饱喝足chī bǎo hē zúeat and drink one's fillverb

Word lists with this word