How to Write 匮 (kuì) — Meaning “deficient; lacking”

Imagine a treasure box (匚) that should be full of expensive things (贵), but when you open it, the box is empty — there's a 'lack' of valuables. This empty treasure chest reminds you that 匮 means 'deficient' or 'lacking'.

Write the outer enclosure 匚 first (horizontal stroke, then vertical stroke with a hook), then the inner component 贵 (starting with the top 中 part, then 一, then 贝). A common mistake is making the outer box too wide or not enclosing the inner part fully; keep the left vertical stroke vertical and the bottom horizontal line level.

匮 (kuì) means 'lacking' or 'deficient', while 匧 (qiè) is an archaic character for a 'box' or 'case' and is rarely used today. 匪 (fěi) means 'bandit' or is a negation word in classical Chinese; visually, 匮 has 贵 inside, 匧 has 夾 (to clamp), and 匪 has 非 (wrong). Practically, 匮 is the only one used in modern Chinese for scarcity.

匮 is most commonly found in the word 匮乏 (kuì fá), meaning 'scarce' or 'shortage', often in formal or written contexts like 'resources are scarce' (资源匮乏). It also appears in phrases like 精神匮乏 (spiritual poverty), describing a lack of inner fulfillment. While not common in everyday speech, it carries a serious, literary tone in news or academic writing.

Common words containing 匮 include: 匮乏 (kuì fá) — scarce; shortage; 物资匮乏 (wù zī kuì fá) — Shortage of supplies; 精神匮乏 (jīng shén kuì fá) — Spiritual poverty; lack of inner resources..