紧缺
jǐn quē · HSK 7
in short supply
📉 紧 tight + 缺 lacking = supply is tight and lacking, i.e. scarce
紧 (jǐn) means tight or tense; 缺 (quē) means to lack or be short of. Together the sense is that something is in tight supply and running short — scarce.
紧 — 臣 minister + 又 hand on top + 糸 silk below
Originally written 緊, this character combines 臤 (a hand 又 grasping firmly, with 臣 as phonetic) over 糸 'silk thread'. The image is of silk threads pulled taut by hand, giving the core meaning 'tight, taut'. From there it extended to 'urgent' and 'pressing'.
缺 — 缶 (jar) + 夬 (phonetic)
Originally a semantic-phonetic compound: the 缶 component depicts an earthenware jar, while 夬 supplies the sound. The character first referred to a broken or chipped pot, then broadened to mean 'lacking,' 'missing,' or 'deficient' in general.