noun, noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no'
extreme poverty; destitution
A strong, somewhat literary term for utter poverty, often used in fixed expressions like 赤貧洗うがごとし (penniless, as if washed clean).
He rose from extreme poverty.
He lived in abject poverty, as if washed clean of all possessions.
From 赤 (red, bare) + 貧 (poverty). The exact origin is uncertain, but 赤 here intensifies the meaning, suggesting 'utter' or 'bare' poverty.