diff --git a/acinclude.m4 b/acinclude.m4
index 4ac611dd2..47fdd59c3 100644
--- a/acinclude.m4
+++ b/acinclude.m4
@@ -62,6 +62,24 @@ AC_DEFUN([AC_TRY_LDFLAGS],
     fi
 ])
 
+
+dnl PKG_CHECK_VAR(VARIABLE, MODULE, CONFIG-VARIABLE,
+dnl [ACTION-IF-FOUND], [ACTION-IF-NOT-FOUND])
+dnl -------------------------------------------
+dnl Since: 0.28
+dnl
+dnl Retrieves the value of the pkg-config variable for the given module.
+AC_DEFUN([PKG_CHECK_VAR],
+[AC_REQUIRE([PKG_PROG_PKG_CONFIG])dnl
+AC_ARG_VAR([$1], [value of $3 for $2, overriding pkg-config])dnl
+
+_PKG_CONFIG([$1], [variable="][$3]["], [$2])
+AS_VAR_COPY([$1], [pkg_cv_][$1])
+
+AS_VAR_IF([$1], [""], [$5], [$4])dnl
+])dnl PKG_CHECK_VAR
+
+
 # ===========================================================================
 #      http://www.gnu.org/software/autoconf-archive/ax_gcc_builtin.html
 # ===========================================================================