三旬九食 sān xún jiǔ shí

DEFINITIONS

  1. lit. to have only nine meals in thirty days (idiom)
  2. fig. (of a family) on the brink of starvation
  3. in dire straits

CHARACTERS

三 sān
HSK 1
three
旬 xún
HSK 5
ten-day period; period of time
九 jiǔ
HSK 1
nine
食 shí
HSK 5
eat; meal; food; KangXi radical number 184