透支

tòuzhī

verb HSK 7 #16,945

Meanings

1 to overdraw (a bank account)
2 to overextend; to exhaust (one's health, energy)

Characters

to penetrate; through

to pay out; to disburse

Examples

他的信用卡透支了三千块。

Tā de xìnyòngkǎ tòuzhī le sānqiān kuài.

His credit card is overdrawn by three thousand yuan.

长期熬夜是在透支身体。

Chángqī áoyè shì zài tòuzhī shēntǐ.

Staying up late long-term is overextending your body.

Tips

usage

The figurative use is very common: 透支健康 (overdrawing one's health), 透支体力 (exhausting one's stamina), 透支未来 (mortgaging one's future). The metaphor is always about using more than you have.

Stroke Order

透 tòu

支 zhī