缺衣少食

quēyīshǎoshí
  1. short of food and clothing
  2. destitute

CEDICT

to have insufficient food and clothing due to poverty

Wiktionary

基本的衣食需求得不到满足。形容生活贫穷。明．李贽〈复李渐老书〉：「即此衣食之赐，既深以为喜，则缺衣少食之烦恼不言而知也。」也作「缺食无衣」。

重編國語辭典

Entry Composition

1 缺 quē
  1. deficiency
  2. lack
  3. scarce
  4. vacant post
  5. to run short of
2 衣 yī
  1. clothes
  2. Kangxi radical 145

classifier: 件
3 少 shǎo
  1. few
  2. less
  3. to lack
  4. to be missing
  5. to stop (doing sth)
  6. seldom
4 食 shí
  1. to eat
  2. food
  3. animal feed
  4. eclipse

Related entries

窘匮 jiǒngkuì
  1. destitute
  2. impoverished
穷困 qióngkùn
  1. destitute
  2. wretched poverty
穷愁 qióngchóu
  1. destitute
  2. troubled
  3. penniless and full of care
凋敝 diāobì
  1. impoverished
  2. destitute
  3. hard
  4. depressed (of business)
  5. tattered
  6. ragged
清贫 qīngpín
  1. poor but upright
  2. destitute
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