三旬九食

sānxúnjiǔshí
  1. lit. to have only nine meals in thirty days (idiom)
  2. fig. (of a family) on the brink of starvation
  3. in dire straits

CEDICT

Entry Composition

1 三 sān
  1. three
  2. 3
2 旬 xún
  1. ten days
  2. ten years
  3. full period
3 九 jiǔ
  1. nine
  2. 9
4 食 shí
  1. to eat
  2. food
  3. animal feed
  4. eclipse

Related entries

穷蹙 qióngcù
  1. hard-up
  2. in dire straits
  3. desperate
落托 luòtuō
  1. down and out
  2. in dire straits
  3. unrestrained
  4. unconventional
落拓 luòtuò
  1. down and out
  2. in dire straits
  3. unrestrained
  4. unconventional
落泊 luòbó
  1. down and out
  2. in dire straits
  3. unrestrained
  4. unconventional
落魄 luòpò
  1. down and out
  2. in dire straits
  3. unrestrained
  4. unconventional
  5. also pr. luòtuò