节衣缩食

jié yī suō shí

HSK 3.0 Level 7 Rare

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Definitions

1. to save on food and clothing (idiom); to live frugally

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Word relationships

Antonyms

1 item

• 铺张浪费 pū zhāng làng fèi 铺张浪费 pū zhāng làng fèi extravagance and waste (idiom) antonym meaning extravagant and wasteful: extravagance and waste (idiom)

Synonyms

1 item

• 省吃俭用 shěng chī jiǎn yòng 省吃俭用 shěng chī jiǎn yòng to live frugally both mean to live frugally by saving on daily expenses: to live frugally

Usage notes

Common mistakes

节衣缩食 cannot be split or used literally; it is a fixed idiom for frugality, not just saving clothes and food.

Formality

Mainly used in written or formal contexts; in casual speech, 省吃俭用 is more common.

Example Sentences

1 shown

父母 节衣缩食 供他上学。

His parents lived frugally to send him to school.

AI-generated examples are marked with this icon.

Child Words of 节衣缩食

• 节 节 jiē: see 節骨眼|节骨眼[jiē gu yǎn]
• 节 节 jié: joint; node
• 缩 缩 suō: to withdraw
• 衣 衣 yī: clothes
• 衣 衣 yì: to dress
• 食 食 shí: to eat
• 食 食 sì: to feed (a person or animal)