养家糊口 yǎng jiā hú kǒu support one's family

Explanation

勉强维持生计，使家人不挨饿。

Barely making a living, keeping the family from starving.

Origin Story

老张是一名普通的农民，为了养家糊口，他每天起早贪黑地在地里劳作。春天播种，夏天施肥，秋天收割，冬天积肥，一年四季，他都忙碌不停。他的妻子体弱多病，孩子们正值上学年龄，需要大量的开销。虽然生活艰辛，但他从不抱怨，总是默默地承担着一切，用他那勤劳的双手，守护着这个小小的家。他深知，责任重大，养家糊口是他义不容辞的责任。他坚信，只要努力耕耘，总会有收获的一天，生活会越来越好。他用自己的实际行动诠释着"养家糊口"的含义，也诠释着一位父亲对家庭的责任与爱。

lǎo zhāng shì yī míng pǔtōng de nóngmín, wèile yǎng jiā hú kǒu, tā měitiān qǐ zǎo tān hēi de zài dì lǐ láozùo. chūntiān bōzhǒng, xiàtiān shīféi, qiūtiān shōugē, dōngtiān jīféi, yī nián sìjì, tā dōu mánglù bùtíng. tā de qīzi tǐ ruò duō bìng, háizi men zhèng zhí shàngxué niánlíng, xūyào dàliàng de kāixiāo. suīrán shēnghuó jiānxīn, dàn tā cóng bù bàoyuàn, zǒng shì mòmò de chéngdān zhe yīqiè, yòng tā nà qínláo de shǒushāng, shǒuhù zhe zhège xiǎoxiǎo de jiā. tā shēn zhī, zérèn zhòngdà, yǎng jiā hú kǒu shì tā yì bù róng cí de zérèn. tā jiānxìn, zhǐyào nǔlì gēngyún, zǒng huì yǒu shōuhuò de yī tiān, shēnghuó huì yuè lái yuè hǎo. tā yòng zìjǐ de shíjì xíngdòng qiánshì zhe "yǎng jiā hú kǒu" de hán yì, yě qiánshì zhe yī wèi fù qīn duì jiātíng de zérèn yǔ ài.

Old Zhang was an ordinary farmer. In order to support his family, he worked hard in the fields every day, from dawn till dusk. He sowed seeds in spring, fertilized in summer, harvested in autumn, and accumulated fertilizer in winter. He was busy all year round. His wife was weak and often ill, and his children were of school age, requiring substantial expenses. Although life was hard, he never complained, always silently bearing everything, guarding his small family with his hardworking hands. He knew that he had a great responsibility, and supporting his family was his duty. He firmly believed that as long as he worked hard, there would always be a harvest, and life would get better and better. He used his actions to interpret the meaning of "supporting his family" and also interpreted a father's responsibility and love for his family.

Usage

指勉强维持生计，使家人不挨饿。

zhǐ miǎnqiǎng wéichí shēngjì, shǐ jiārén bù āi'è

Refers to barely making a living, enough to keep the family from starving.

Examples

• 为了养家糊口，他每天都起早贪黑地工作。

  wèile yǎng jiā hú kǒu, tā měitiān dōu qǐ zǎo tān hēi de gōngzuò

  To make ends meet, he works from dawn till dusk every day.

• 为了养家糊口，她不得不放弃自己的梦想。

  wèile yǎng jiā hú kǒu, tā bùdé bù fàngqì zìjǐ de mèngxiǎng

  To support her family, she had to give up her dreams.

Related Idioms

• 养家活口

• 维持生计

Opposite Idioms

• 富甲一方

• 锦衣玉食