穷

qióng

HSK 5

穷 — qióng

1. poor; destitute (lack of money or resources)

   那家人很穷，连基本的生活都成问题。 nà jiārén hěnqióng lián jīběn de shēnghuó dōu chéngwèntí — That family is very poor; even basic living is a problem.

2. to use up; to exhaust (resources, patience, etc.)

   他把积蓄都穷尽了，还欠了债。 tā bǎ jīxù dōu qióngjìn le hái qiàn le zhài — He exhausted all his savings and still owes money.

3. thoroughly; extremely (used adverbially to emphasize degree)

   他穷尽一生研究这门学问。 tā qióngjìn yīshēng yánjiū zhè mén xuéwèn — He devoted his entire life to studying this discipline.

4. (colloquial) persistently and pointlessly; to no avail

   他穷追不舍，终于查清了真相。 tā qióngzhuībùshě zhōngyú cháqīng le zhēnxiàng — He pursued doggedly and finally uncovered the truth.