知悭识俭

知慳識儉
zhīqiān-shíjiǎn
idiom

Meanings

  1. 1 to know how to be economical
  2. 2 to understand thrift

Examples

HSK 6
Tā cóngxiǎo jiù zhīqiānshíjiǎn, cóngbù làngfèi.
She has known how to be thrifty since childhood - she never wastes anything.
HSK 6
Niánqīngrén yě yīnggāi xuéhuì zhīqiānshíjiǎn.
Young people should also learn to be thrifty.

Tips

register
Cantonese-flavored set phrase, often heard in Hong Kong/Guangdong contexts. Mandarin has the more common 勤俭节约 for the same idea - choose 知悭识俭 for southern register or to praise an instinctive frugality.
memory
Parallel structure: 知悭 (know stinginess) + 识俭 (recognize thrift). and are near-synonyms, as are and - the four syllables hammer in 'knowing-how-to-save' from two angles.

Stroke Order

zhī
qiān
shí
jiǎn