'丐余' literally means 'to beg the remainder' — combining 丐 (gài), meaning 'to beg' or 'beggar', and 余 (yú), meaning 'remainder', 'leftover', or 'surplus'. Historically, it referred to stray dogs or cats that scavenge leftover food from human meals, especially near restaurants or households. It carries a slightly literary or descriptive tone, often used in animal welfare contexts or observational writing about urban wildlife.

While not common in everyday speech, 丐余 appears in essays, nature reports, or compassionate narratives describing animals surviving on scraps. It emphasizes dependence on human leftovers rather than independent foraging, implying vulnerability and marginal existence. The term evokes both pity and ecological awareness — highlighting how domesticated or semi-wild animals adapt to human environments by relying on discarded resources.