📖 Meaning
Describes a lifestyle of extreme frugality, where one saves on food and limits daily expenses. It emphasizes living simply and managing resources with great care, often to accumulate savings for a larger goal.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from Chapter 47 of Wu Jingzi's Qing Dynasty novel 'The Scholars' (《儒林外史》). The passage describes a man named Yu Huaxuan, who stayed at home, saved on food and scrimped on daily expenses, and eventually managed to save up several taels of silver. The idiom has since been used to praise the virtue of thrift and disciplined living in Chinese culture.
💡 Example Usage
父母省吃俭用一辈子，就为供孩子上大学。
My parents lived frugally their whole lives, just to put their children through college.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 省吃俭用
- Pinyin: shěng chī jiǎn yòng
- Literal Translation: save, eat, frugal, use
- Category: Lifestyle
- Characters: 4