穷
qióng
poor
destitute; to use up; to exhaust; thoroughly; extremely; (coll.) persistently and pointlessly
cave (穴) + strength (力) = drained and destitute
Picture someone trapped in a cave (穴), straining with all their strength (力) but unable to break free — effort exhausted, resources spent. The sense of 'thoroughly' and 'to the limit' grows naturally from the idea of being completely spent.
他家很穷，买不起新衣服。
tā jiā hěn qióng，mǎi bu qǐ xīn yīfu。
His family is very poor and can't afford new clothes.
我们要穷尽所有办法来解决这个问题。
wǒmen yào qióngjìn suǒyǒu bànfǎ lái jiějué zhège wèntí。
We need to exhaust all methods to solve this problem.
Words with 穷
穷苦
qióng kǔ
impoverished
黔驴技穷
qián lǘ jì qióng
to exhaust one's limited abilities (idiom)
回味无穷
huí wèi wú qióng
to have a rich aftertaste
穷兵黩武
qióng bīng dú wǔ
to engage in wars of aggression at will (idiom)
穷困潦倒
qióng kùn liáo dǎo
(idiom) to live in poverty and despair; down and out; destitute and without hope
层出不穷
céng chū bù qióng
more and more emerge
穷追不舍
qióng zhuī bù shě
to pursue relentlessly
山穷水尽
shān qióng shuǐ jìn
mountain and river exhausted (idiom); at the end of the line
遗害无穷
yí hài wú qióng
to have disastrous consequences
一穷二白
yī qióng èr bái
impoverished
不穷
bù qióng
endless
人穷志不穷
rén qióng zhì bù qióng
(idiom) poor but with great ambitions; poor but principled