三旬九食

sān xún jiǔ shí

Dictionary entry

lit. to have only nine meals in thirty days (idiom)

What does 三旬九食 mean?

三旬九食 (sān xún jiǔ shí) has the following dictionary meaning.

1lit. to have only nine meals in thirty days (idiom)

2fig. (of a family) on the brink of starvation

3in dire straits

Character breakdown

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三Sānsurname San 旬xún(bound form) ten-day period; one of the three ten-day divisions of a month (e.g. 上旬[shang4 xun2]) · (bound form) ten years (in age expressions, e.g. 六旬[liu4 xun2] "sixty years old")九jiǔnine · 9 食shíto eat · food

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How to pronounce 三旬九食

三旬九食

sān xún jiǔ shí

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Base dictionary data: CC-CEDICT · CC BY-SA 4.0.