养家糊口

養家糊口

yǎngjiā-húkǒu

idiom

Meanings

1 to support one's family
2 to scrape together a living for one's household
3 to feed the family

Characters

to support; to raise

to plaster; (here) to fill

Examples

HSK 4

他一个人打两份工，就是为了养家糊口。

Tā yígè rén dǎ liǎng fèn gōng, jiùshì wèile yǎngjiā-húkǒu.

He works two jobs alone just to support his family.

HSK 5

这份工作虽然辛苦，但足够养家糊口。

Zhè fèn gōngzuò suīrán xīnkǔ, dàn zúgòu yǎngjiā-húkǒu.

This job is hard, but it's enough to put food on the family's table.

HSK 6

父亲常年在外打工，辛苦养家糊口。

Fùqīn chángnián zài wài dǎgōng, xīnkǔ yǎngjiā-húkǒu.

His father works away from home year-round, toiling hard to feed the family.

Tips

usage

Strong connotation of modest survival rather than prosperity - 糊口 literally means 'to paste the mouth', i.e. just enough to eat. Often paired with 辛苦 or 勉强 to emphasize hardship.

memory

养家 = support the family + 糊口 = (barely) feed the mouth. Together: just enough to keep everyone fed.

Stroke Order

养 yǎng

家 jiā

糊 hú

口 kǒu