油盐酱醋

油鹽醬醋

yóuyánjiàngcù

idiom #52,314

Meanings

1 oil, salt, soy sauce and vinegar
2 everyday necessities of life
3 mundane daily trivia

Characters

soy sauce, paste

Examples

结了婚就是油盐酱醋的生活。

Jié le hūn jiù shì yóu yán jiàng cù de shēnghuó.

Marriage is a life of oil, salt, soy sauce and vinegar — day-to-day domesticity.

她每天忙着油盐酱醋，很少有时间出门。

Tā měitiān máng zhe yóu yán jiàng cù, hěn shǎo yǒu shíjiān chūmén.

She's busy with household trivia every day and rarely goes out.

Tips

culture

The four are part of the traditional list of seven kitchen staples (柴米油盐酱醋茶 — firewood, rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, tea). Used metaphorically for domestic routine.

Stroke Order

油 yóu

盐 yán

酱 jiàng

醋 cù