year of famine; lean year
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 3 examplesnoun
year of famine; lean year; year of bad harvest
literaryA literary term used in formal or written contexts to describe years when crops fail and food is scarce. Often appears in classical texts or formal historical descriptions.
Xiōng凶
nián年
jī饥
suì岁
，
bǎi百
xìng姓
liú流
lí离
shī失
suǒ所
。
In years of famine, the common people became displaced and homeless.
Měi每
féng逢
xiōng凶
nián年
，
liáng粮
shi食
jià价
gé格
jiù就
huì会
dà大
fú幅
shàng上
zhāng涨
。
Whenever there is a year of bad harvest, grain prices rise sharply.
Show 1 more exampleShow fewer examples
Zài在
gǔ古
dài代
，
xiōng凶
nián年
cháng常
cháng常
dǎo导
zhì致
shè社
huì会
dòng动
dàng荡
bù不
ān安
。
In ancient times, years of famine often led to social unrest.