三旬九食 [－－－－]

Jyutping saam1 ceon4 gau2 sik6
Pinyin sān xún jiǔ shí

Definitions (CC-CEDICT)
  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