Taxonomy of meanings for 窮:　　

  • qióng (OC: ɡʷɯŋ MC: ɡiuŋ) 渠弓切 平 廣韻：【窮極也又窮竒獸名聞人鬬乃助不直者渠弓切三 】
  • DISTRESS
    • nabpsychinescapable hardship or trouble
    • v[adN]nonreferentialthe distressed
    • vadNdistressed, destitute; hopeless
    • vihave come to a dead end; be in a hopeless position; be in an intellectually hopeless position, be lost for words; be at one's wit's end
    • vichangerun into trouble, get into a tight corner
    • vtoNcausativedrive to exhaustion, wear out completely; put in a tight spot
    • vtoNcausativecause to be in a hopeless position; put in a tight corner; put in an impossible position; embarrass
    • vtoNcausativeget (oneself) into an inescapable kind of trouble
    • viextremebe in great trouble; feel cornered; be in extreme distress
    • nabsituationextreme trouble; extremitiesCH
    • vadNin extreme poverty, in distressLZ
    • specific:> POOR
      • nabsocialSHI: state of destitution
      • v[adN]nonreferentialthe poor, the destitute
      • visuffier dire poverty, be destitute
      • vadNpoor, characteristic of the poorLZ
      • relevant situation> DANGER
        • vichangeto get into extremely difficult dangerous situation; get into serious trouble
        • psychological> DESPERATE
            • at wit’s end> CONFUSED
              • vibe out of one's depth; be at one's wit's end; be completely lost for words; not know what to think or say
      • event> FAIL
        • nabeventfailure
        • vadNprone to failure, unsuccessful
        • viprocessfail to win through; fail to achieve one's end
        • vistatebe unsuccessfulLZ
        • general:> LACK猶有所窮 HYDCD
          • general> END
            • vicome to an end
            • vtoNcome to the end of
            • nab(.post-N)the coming to an end> the end of lifeCH
            • vadNfinalCH
            • action> STOP
              • viactcease doing what one has been doing
              • living> DIE
                • viderivedreach the end of one's lifespanCH
            • causative: cause there to be no more> EXHAUST
              • vadVintensitiveexhaustingly > completely
              • vtoNuse up; exhaust (the years of one's life etc); cover completely all of
              • vtoNmathematical termCHEMLA 2003:
              • vtoNpassivebe exhausted; (of supply) run out
              • nabultimate quantity, quantitative limitCH
              • vt[oN]actgo all the way; perform everything in every detailCH
              • vicome to a dead endCH
              • generalised> USE
                • vtoNuse a whole lot of (should probably be vtoNm）
              • object: energies> EFFORT
                • vt+prep+Nexhaust one's energies in an effort towards
                • grammaticalised> INTENSELY
                  • vadVwith all one's might> powerfully, intensely
              • grammaticalised> EXTREME
                • nextreme point
                • v[adN]nonreferentialthose who are in an extreme situationDS
                • resultative> REACH
                  • vtoNN=placereach all the way to (distant places etc)CH
                  • vigo all the way> be exhaustively adequate; be perfectCH
              • intellectually> INVESTIGATE
                • vtoNinvestigate thoroughly (often used in analytical contexts)
            • resultative: > UNDERSTAND
              • vtoNunderstand completely
              • vtoNpassivebe understood completely
      • proper names> STATES
        • qiòng (OC: ɡuŋ MC: kʰiuŋ) 去仲切 去 廣韻：【使役也亦作㑋 】

          Additional information about 窮

          說文解字:

            Criteria
          • INVESTIGATE

            1. The most general words for investigating something are chá 察 "sort out clearly" and shen 審 "investigate carefully".

            2. Kǎo 考 and jī 稽 refer to an objective investigation into something on the basis of the best available evidence.

            3. Xǐng 省 typically refers to investigation by introspection.

            4. Jiū 究 and qióng 窮 emphasise the thoroughness and exhaustiveness of an investigation.

            5. Xiáng 詳, xī 悉, and dì 諦 focus on the detailed nature of an investigation without insisting on its exhaustiveness.

            6. Yuán 原 refers to a principled investigation into all aspects of a topic, getting to the bottom of a matter.

            NB: pàn 判涄 ome to a result in an investigation � does not refer to the investigation itself but only the final act of judgment on the result; d“ng 定洖 etermine (the truth of a matter) is a resultative verb. Duàn 斷烒 each a conclusion on an investigation � is close to pàn 判.

          • EXHAUST

            1. The current general word for using up anything material or immaterial is jìn 盡.

            2. Jié 竭 (ant. yíng 盈 "leave plenty of something") typically refers to the using up of what one has in one, or what one owns.

            3. Xī 悉 refers to using up all that is under one's control or command.

            4. Qióng 窮 and dān 殫 focusses on the result of exhausting resources as being the absence of these resources.

            NB: Fá 乏 (ant. zú 足 "leave a sufficient supply of") refers to the state of something being almost completely used up, and the word is thus marginal in the group.

          • DISTRESS

            1. The most representative current general word for distress is probably kùn 困 (ant. ān 安 "be in a good state"), although the group of words discussed here is selected on singularly problematic grounds.

            2. Qióng 窮 (ant. tōng 通 "have a way out from a difficult situation") refers to a form form of distress as something from which it is impossible or hard to escape.

            3. Kǔ 苦 and the much rarer xīn 辛 (ant. lè 樂 "be in a joyful state") refer to a lasting objective state of distress caused by identifiable external conditions.

            4. Shāng 傷 (ant. yuè 悅 ) refers to lasting psychological distress.

            5. Yōu 憂 (ant. xǐ 喜 "joyful occasion") may very occasionally be used to refer not as standardly to worries of some kind, but to an objective state of precarious trouble.

            6. Jiù 疚 refers to purely psychological and often moral distress caused by a bad conscience or the like.

          • FAIL

            1. The current general word for failure is shī 失 (ant. dé 得 "get somewhere").

            2. Qióng 窮 (ant. dá 達 "successful") refers to getting into an impasse, a situation from which there is no way out, or being hopelessly unsuccessful with what one is trying to do.

            3. Bài 敗 (ant. chéng 成 "achieve one's purpose") construes failure as a defeat in some personal or social undertaking or campaign.

            4. Bēng 崩 construes a failure as a momentous disaster.

            5. Fù 負 refers specifically to a defeat versus a victory.

          • POOR

            1. The current general word for poverty is pín 貧 (ant. fù 富 "rich"), but the term does not in general refer to transitory poverty.

            2. Qióng 窮 (ant. fù 富 "rich") refers to an extreme state of destitution, which may, however, be transitory, and the word may also refer not so much to poverty as such as marked lack of expected success, professional failure (ant. dá 達 ); and the word may also refer to persons without regular means of support such as widows and orphans.

            3. Fá 乏 (ant. yù 裕 "abundantly supplied") refers to a shortage in a certain commodity or in a certain specified group of commodities.

            4. Kùn 困 (ant.* kuān 寬 "in comfortable economic circumstances") refers to poverty as constituting serious hardship.

            5. Yuē 約 (ant. chuò 綽 "be abundantly supplied") refers to mild poverty or straightened circumstances.

            6. Jué 絕 refers to temporary poverty viewed as the result of a sudden change of circumstances.

            7. Jié 竭 refers a state of extremely low supply that has come about through a gradual change in circumstances.

            8. Jiǒng 窘 (ant. jǐ 給 "be sufficiently supplied") is a rare word referring to a general state of run-down destitution.

          • SUCCEED

            1. The general word for succeeding is 達 (ant. qiǒ2ng 窮 "get nowhere, have no way out") refers quite simply to "making it".

            2. Tōng 通 (ant. kùn 困 "run into trouble, get into trouble") refers to the achievement of unimpeded progress in what one is trying to do.

            3. Jī 幾 (ant. jiǒng 窘 "get into a hopeless position") refers to an almost complete success.

            4. Jí 及 refers to the successful reaching of a high level.

            5. Dé yì 得意 (liǎo dǎo 潦倒 "end up in a hopeless position") refers to the full achievement of one's highest ambitions or hopes.

            6. Yù 遇 (ant. bù yù 不遇 "fail to succeed") refers to success under certain specific circumstances or by chance.

            Word relations
          • Ant: (DISTRESS)達/SUCCEED The general word for succeeding is 達 (ant. qiǒ2ng 窮 "get nowhere, have no way out") refers quite simply to "making it".
          • Epithet: (POOR)巷/STREET The general term for the streets of a compact settlement of any kind is xiàng 巷.
          • Contrast: (DISTRESS)貧/POOR The current general word for poverty is pín 貧 (ant. fù 富 "rich"), but the term does not in general refer to transitory poverty.
          • Assoc: (DISTRESS)困/DISTRESS The most representative current general word for distress is probably kùn 困 (ant. ān 安 "be in a good state"), although the group of words discussed here is selected on singularly problematic grounds.
          • Assoc: (POOR)乏/POOR Fá 乏 (ant. yù 裕 "abundantly supplied") refers to a shortage in a certain commodity or in a certain specified group of commodities.
          • Assoc: (EXHAUST)匱/FEW Fá 乏 and kuì 匱 (ant. zú 足 "enough") refer specifically to the shortage of something one definitely needs more of.
          • Assoc: (POOR)匱/POOR
          • Assoc: (POOR)貧/POOR The current general word for poverty is pín 貧 (ant. fù 富 "rich"), but the term does not in general refer to transitory poverty.
          • Assoc: (POOR)賤/HUMBLE Jiàn 賤 (ant. 貴 "objectively of high standard, but also personally and subjectively judged to deserve this high status") typically adds to the notion of objectively judged low status that of subjectively appreciated moral decrepitude.
          • Synon: (END)竟/END