Word · CEFR B1 · Frequency #18686
penniless
身无分文；一文不名
核心释义
Lacking even the smallest amount of money; completely broke.
- 1.
身无分文的；一贫如洗的
Lacking even the smallest amount of money.
- 2.
没有足够的钱支付必需品
not having enough money to pay for necessities
- 3.
指国家货币体系虽已完全十进制化,但通过现金交易四舍五入而避免使用分币(非现金交易不一定如此)
Of a country's system of money, abstaining from the use of penny coins, despite having fully decimalized currency, by means of rounding of cash transactions (but not necessarily of cashless ones).
（货币制度）不使用便士硬币、现金交易四舍五入的；身无分文的；一贫如洗的；没有足够的钱支付必需品；指国家货币体系虽已完全十进制化,但通过现金交易四舍五入而避免使用分币(非现金交易不一定如此)；赤贫的
用法In use
After losing his job, he found himself penniless and homeless.
用法提示：形容词作表语，描述主语的状态为“身无分文”。
The penniless traveler relied on the kindness of strangers.
用法提示：形容词作定语，修饰名词“旅行者”。
She was penniless after paying off her debts.
用法提示：形容词作表语，描述主语的状态。
be penniless
描述状态，常用作表语。
After the fire, the family was penniless.
火灾之后，这家人身无分文。
leave sb penniless
使役结构，表示导致某人一无所有。
The gambling debts left him penniless.
相关词与表达Connections
搭配Collocations
- penniless beggar
- 身无分文的乞丐
- A penniless beggar sat outside the station.一个身无分文的乞丐坐在车站外面。
- penniless student
- 穷学生；身无分文的学生
- As a penniless student, she lived on instant noodles.作为一个身无分文的学生，她靠方便面为生。
- die penniless
- 穷困潦倒地死去；死时身无分文
- He died penniless despite his early success.尽管早年很成功，他死时却身无分文。
- leave someone penniless
- 使某人一贫如洗；让某人身无分文
- The medical bills left the family penniless.医疗账单让这个家庭一贫如洗。
- penniless refugee
学习提示Learner notes
记忆技巧Memory Tip
penny（便士）一个都没有，加上 less（无）→ 身无分文；连最小硬币都不剩，一贫如洗。
语境与语域Context & Register
语域：neutral 常见场景：news reporting、literary writing、describing someone's financial situation penniless 是比较中性的词，通常用于书面或新闻报道中描述某人没有钱；日常口语中更常说 broke。另有一个较专业的义项指货币体系不使用分币，很少见，普通学习者了解即可。
语法说明Grammar Note
通常用作表语或定语，无特殊介词搭配。
发音与拼写Pronunciation & Spelling
No common word rhymes exactly with 'penniless' /ˈpɛ.nɪ.ləs/, because its stressed syllable is followed by /nɪləs/. The words below share the '-less' suffix and final /ləs/ (senseless, reckless, priceless, helpless) but differ in stress and preceding sounds. 'Penny' and 'pennant' look like the beginning 'penni-' but are pronounced differently.
用法优先级Usage priority
Collins 词频等级为 1，建议结合例句记忆，而不是只背中文释义。
Dictionary facts from DICTIONARY_API_DEV, ECDICT, WIKTIONARY.