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
遗害无穷
yí hài wú qióng
to have disastrous consequences
黔驴技穷
qián lǘ jì qióng
to exhaust one's limited abilities (idiom)
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
人穷志短
rén qióng zhì duǎn
poor and with low expectations
其乐不穷
qí lè bù qióng
boundless joy
其乐无穷
qí lè wú qióng
boundless joy
力大无穷
lì dà wú qióng
extraordinary strength
受穷
shòu qióng
poor
哭穷
kū qióng
to bewail one's poverty
回味无穷
huí wèi wú qióng
to have a rich aftertaste