A staple of Qing-era household economics, made famous in
红楼梦 (Honglou Meng / Dream of the Red Chamber), where every member of the Jia mansion — masters, ladies, and servants alike — received a precisely fixed
月钱 each month. Modern usage is dated; today people say
零花钱 (líng huā qián) for pocket money or
工资 (gōngzī) for salary.
