活钱

活錢

huóqián

noun

Meanings

1 cash on hand
2 ready money
3 liquid funds
4 extra income

Characters

living / flexible

Examples

我手头没什么活钱。

Wǒ shǒutóu méi shénme huóqián.

I don't have much cash on hand.

做点小生意能挣点活钱。

Zuò diǎn xiǎo shēngyì néng zhèng diǎn huóqián.

Doing a bit of small business brings in some extra cash.

Tips

memory

活 ('living / flexible') vs. 死钱 ('dead money', i.e. capital tied up). 活钱 is money that can move — the same metaphor as English 'liquid' funds.

Stroke Order

活 huó

钱 qián