节衣缩食

節衣縮食

jiéyīsuōshí

idiom HSK 7 #63,634

Meanings

1 to scrimp on food and clothing (idiom)
2 to live frugally; to tighten one's belt

Characters

to save; to economize

to shrink; to reduce

Examples

父母节衣缩食供孩子上大学。

Fùmǔ jiéyīsuōshí gōng háizi shàng dàxué.

The parents scrimped and saved to put their child through college.

为了买房，他们节衣缩食了好几年。

Wèile mǎi fáng, tāmen jiéyīsuōshí le hǎo jǐ nián.

To buy a house, they lived frugally for several years.

Tips

memory

节衣 (cut back on clothes) + 缩食 (shrink meals): saving on the two most basic necessities — the image of extreme frugality.

Stroke Order

节 jié

衣 yī

缩 suō

食 shí