crying piteously for food; in urgent need of aid
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 4 examplesidiom
crying hungrily for food; urgently in need of nourishment or assistance
literaryOriginally describes the sound of hungry infants or birds. Often used in formal or literary contexts to depict dire need, especially for food or basic necessities. Can be extended metaphorically to describe any situation requiring urgent help.
Zāi灾
mín民
men们
áo嗷
áo嗷
dài待
bǔ哺
，
jí急
xū需
shí食
wù物
hé和
yào药
pǐn品
。
The disaster victims are crying out for food and medicine.
Zhè这
ge个
chū初
chuàng创
gōng公
sī司
zī资
jīn金
kū枯
jié竭
，
áo嗷
áo嗷
dài待
bǔ哺
。
This startup is running out of funds and is in urgent need of a cash injection.
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Chú雏
niǎo鸟
zài在
cháo巢
zhōng中
áo嗷
áo嗷
dài待
bǔ哺
，
niǎo鸟
mā妈
ma妈
bù不
tíng停
de地
wài外
chū出
mì觅
shí食
。
The fledglings are crying hungrily in the nest, and the mother bird keeps going out to forage for food.
Zhàn战
zhēng争
guò过
hòu后
，
gū孤
ér儿
men们
áo嗷
áo嗷
dài待
bǔ哺
，
jìng境
kuàng况
qī凄
cǎn惨
。
After the war, the orphans were left in a pitiful state, crying for food.