乏

乏 (Kangxi radical 4, 丿+4 in traditional Chinese and Korean, 丿+3 in mainland China and Japanese, 5 strokes in traditional Chinese and Korean, 4 strokes in mainland China and Japanese, cangjie input 竹戈弓人 (HINO), four-corner 2030₇, composition ⿱㇒之)

• 𠇖, 𫦧, 𠰏, 𪣇, 姂, 𡶉, 𭛦, 抸, 泛, 𤝑, 𭤱, 𣆅, 柉, 𤇮, 𦚖, 𥁔, 眨, 砭, 䍇, 𬜆, 𮎊, 𧊉, 𪥻, 𧦟, 貶(贬), 䟪, 𨥧, 𩚮, 𩶟, 𪀐, 𫸿
• 𣭛, 𬎣, 𬨵, 鴔(𫛡), 䒦, 𬐆, 窆, 覂, 𩬪, 𫣱, 㞏, 𢇫, 疺

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 82, character 10
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 133
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 1, page 34, character 3
• Unihan data for U+4E4F

Historical forms of the character 乏
Bronze inscriptions b01949 b01950 b01951 Small seal script s01204 Transcribed ancient scripts L29409
References: Mostly from Richard Sears' Chinese Etymology site (authorisation), which in turn draws data from various collections of ancient forms of Chinese characters, including: Shuowen Jiezi (small seal), Jinwen Bian (bronze inscriptions), Liushutong (Liushutong characters) and Yinxu Jiaguwen Bian (oracle bone script).

Possibly an ideogram (指事) generated by replacing uppermost stroke of 正 (“straight; right”) with a slanted stroke 丿 — not right; lacking.

According to Shuowen, an ideogram (指事) created from reversing 正 (“straight; right”). This is more evident in the Small Seal Script form.

乏

1. to lack

   缺乏  ―  quēfá  ―  to lack; to be short of

2. poor

   貧乏／贫乏  ―  pínfá  ―  poor

3. tired

   疲乏  ―  pífá  ―  tired

4. (Hokkien) lacking; insufficient; inadequate
5. (Hokkien) to be moderate; to abstain; to check; to restrict oneself (in food, usage, spending, addiction, etc.)

   酒著乏咧啉。 [Hokkien, trad.]
   酒着乏咧啉。 [Hokkien, simp.]

   Chiú tio̍h ha̍t leh lim. [Pe̍h-ōe-jī]

   Drinking alcohol should be in moderation.

• Dictionary of Chinese Character Variants (教育部異體字字典), A00032
• “乏”, in 漢語多功能字庫 (Multi-function Chinese Character Database)‎, 香港中文大學 (the Chinese University of Hong Kong), 2014–

(common “Jōyō” kanji)

1. poverty
2. lack
3. scarcity

• Go-on: ぼう (bō, Jōyō)^{←ぼふ (bofu, historical)}
• Kan-on: ほう (hō)^{←はふ (fafu, historical)}
• Kan’yō-on: ぼう (bō, Jōyō)^{←ばふ (bafu, historical)}
• Kun: とぼしい (toboshii, 乏しい, Jōyō); ともしい (tomoshii, 乏しい)

From Middle Chinese 乏 (MC bjop).

乏 (eumhun 모자랄 핍 (mojaral pip))

1. Hanja form^? of 핍 (“lack”).

• 국제퇴계학회 대구경북지부 (國際退溪學會 大邱慶北支部) (2007). Digital Hanja Dictionary, 전자사전／電子字典.
• Naver Hanja Dictionary: 乏

乏: Hán Nôm readings: phạp, phạc

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