Show pageOld revisionsBacklinksBack to top This page is read only. You can view the source, but not change it. Ask your administrator if you think this is wrong. ====== yǎngjiāhúkǒu: 养家糊口 - To support a family ====== ===== Quick Summary ===== * **Keywords:** yangjiahukou, 养家糊口, support a family in Chinese, provide for family Chinese, make a living Chinese idiom, Chinese chengyu about family, yǎngjiāhúkǒu meaning, Chinese work culture, family responsibility * **Summary:** The Chinese idiom **养家糊口 (yǎngjiāhúkǒu)** means "to support one's family and make ends meet." More than a simple translation of "providing for a family," this term captures the fundamental duty, pressure, and often the daily grind of working just to keep the family fed and sheltered. Understanding **yǎngjiāhúkǒu** is key to grasping the traditional and modern pressures related to work and family responsibility in Chinese culture. ===== Core Meaning ===== * **Pinyin (with tone marks):** yǎng jiā hú kǒu * **Part of Speech:** Chengyu (Chinese Idiom), used as a verb phrase. * **HSK Level:** N/A (Considered advanced vocabulary, but extremely common in daily conversation). * **Concise Definition:** To work to support one's family, especially just enough to get by. * **In a Nutshell:** This isn't about getting rich or pursuing a passion. **养家糊口** is about the basic, often burdensome, responsibility of earning a living to put food on the table and a roof over your family's heads. It conveys a sense of duty, realism, and the everyday struggle of making a living. ===== Character Breakdown ===== * **养 (yǎng):** To raise, to nurture, to support. Think of raising a child or livestock. * **家 (jiā):** Family, home. The character is a pictogram of a roof over a pig (豕), symbolizing domestic life. * **糊 (hú):** Originally meaning "paste" or "congee" (rice porridge). In this context, it means to just barely get by, to "paste" over the cracks of daily expenses. * **口 (kǒu):** Mouth. Here it's a measure word for people in a family—the "mouths to feed." These characters combine to paint a vivid picture: **"to support the family (养家) by pasting shut the mouths (糊口)"**. It implies providing the most basic sustenance (like congee) to feed the members of one's household. ===== Cultural Context and Significance ===== * In Chinese culture, influenced heavily by Confucian values, the family unit is the cornerstone of society. The responsibility to provide for one's parents, spouse, and children is not just a personal choice but a deeply ingrained social and moral duty. **养家糊口** is the verbal embodiment of this duty. * **Comparison to Western Concepts:** An English speaker might say "I'm the breadwinner" or "I've got to bring home the bacon." While similar, these phrases can carry a connotation of pride and success. **养家糊口**, however, is more grounded and often humble. It focuses on the struggle and the fulfillment of a fundamental obligation rather than on achievement. A billionaire "provides for his family," but he doesn't work for **养家糊口**—the term implies a life without significant luxury, focused on necessities. It reflects a collectivist mindset where individual ambition is often secondary to the family's collective survival and stability. ===== Practical Usage in Modern China ===== * **养家糊口** is an extremely common phrase used by adults in everyday conversation. It's often used to explain why they work a particular job, especially if it's not glamorous or exciting. * **Connotation:** The term is neutral but can carry a slightly self-deprecating or weary tone. When someone says their high-pressure job is "just for **养家糊口**," they are expressing that it is a means to an end, not their life's passion. It's a way of acknowledging the practical pressures of life. * **Formality:** As a `chengyu`, it has a classic, slightly formal structure, but it is used widely in informal, conversational settings among friends, family, and colleagues. It is not slang. ===== Example Sentences ===== * **Example 1:** * 他每天努力工作，就是为了**养家糊口**。 * Pinyin: Tā měitiān nǔlì gōngzuò, jiùshì wèile **yǎngjiāhúkǒu**. * English: He works hard every day just to support his family. * Analysis: This is a straightforward, neutral use of the term, stating the primary motivation for his hard work. * **Example 2:** * A: “你喜欢你的工作吗？” B: “谈不上喜欢，不过是为了**养家糊口**罢了。” * Pinyin: A: "Nǐ xǐhuān nǐ de gōngzuò ma?" B: "Tánbushàng xǐhuān, bùguò shì wèile **yǎngjiāhúkǒu** bàle." * English: A: "Do you like your job?" B: "I wouldn't say I like it; it's just to make a living, that's all." * Analysis: This shows the common, slightly weary connotation. The phrase is used to lower expectations and express that the job is a necessity, not a passion. The word 罢了 (bàle) emphasizes the "that's all" feeling. * **Example 3:** * 在大城市**养家糊口**的压力真的很大。 * Pinyin: Zài dà chéngshì **yǎngjiāhúkǒu** de yālì zhēn de hěn dà. * English: The pressure of supporting a family in a big city is really immense. * Analysis: Here, the term is used as part of a larger noun phrase to describe the specific type of pressure people face. * **Example 4:** * 爸爸辛苦了一辈子，就靠这点工资**养家糊口**。 * Pinyin: Bàba xīnkǔ le yībèizi, jiù kào zhè diǎn gōngzī **yǎngjiāhúkǒu**. * English: Dad has worked hard his whole life, relying on just this small salary to provide for the family. * Analysis: This usage highlights the sense of struggle and making do with limited resources. It evokes sympathy and respect for the father's sacrifice. * **Example 5:** * 不管做什么工作，能**养家糊口**才是最重要的。 * Pinyin: Bùguǎn zuò shénme gōngzuò, néng **yǎngjiāhúkǒu** cái shì zuì zhòngyào de. * English: No matter what job you do, being able to support your family is the most important thing. * Analysis: This sentence expresses a very common and pragmatic value in Chinese culture: practicality and family responsibility often trump personal ambition. * **Example 6:** * 为了**养家糊口**，他不得不背井离乡去外地打工。 * Pinyin: Wèile **yǎngjiāhúkǒu**, tā bùdébù bèijǐnglíxiāng qù wàidì dǎgōng. * English: In order to support his family, he had no choice but to leave his hometown to work elsewhere. * Analysis: This connects **养家糊口** to the common phenomenon of migrant workers (打工), highlighting the sacrifices made for family. * **Example 7:** * 她一个人**养家糊口**，还要照顾生病的父母，真不容易。 * Pinyin: Tā yīgè rén **yǎngjiāhúkǒu**, hái yào zhàogù shēngbìng de fùmǔ, zhēn bù róngyì. * English: She supports the family all by herself and also has to take care of her sick parents; it's really not easy. * Analysis: This shows the term being used to describe the burden on a single person, emphasizing their strength and the difficulty of their situation. * **Example 8:** * 别看他只是个司机，这份收入足够他**养家糊口**了。 * Pinyin: Bié kàn tā zhǐshì ge sījī, zhè fèn shōurù zúgòu tā **yǎngjiāhúkǒu** le. * English: Don't look down on him for being just a driver; this income is enough for him to provide for his family. * Analysis: Here, the phrase defines a threshold of "enough." It implies his income is sufficient for necessities, even if not for luxuries. * **Example 9:** * 许多年轻人对未来感到焦虑，担心自己以后无法**养家糊口**。 * Pinyin: Xǔduō niánqīngrén duì wèilái gǎndào jiāolǜ, dānxīn zìjǐ yǐhòu wúfǎ **yǎngjiāhúkǒu**. * English: Many young people feel anxious about the future, worrying they won't be able to support a family later on. * Analysis: This demonstrates how the concept is a major source of modern social pressure for the younger generation. * **Example 10:** * 他的画画爱好不能当饭吃，最后还是找了份稳定的工作来**养家糊口**。 * Pinyin: Tā de huàhuà àihào bùnéng dāng fàn chī, zuìhòu háishì zhǎole fèn wěndìng de gōngzuò lái **yǎngjiāhúkǒu**. * English: His hobby of painting couldn't "be eaten as food" (i.e., couldn't make a living), so in the end he found a stable job to support his family. * Analysis: This highlights the classic conflict between passion and the practical necessity of **养家糊口**. ===== Nuances and Common Mistakes ===== * **Don't use it for the wealthy:** The most common mistake is to use **养家糊口** to describe a wealthy person's work. A CEO who earns millions works to "support his family" in the English sense, but in Chinese, his work is for `实现自我价值` (shíxiàn zìwǒ jiàzhí - to realize his self-worth) or to `创造财富` (chuàngzào cáifù - to create wealth), not simply to **养家糊口**. * **Incorrect Usage Example:** * **Wrong:** 马云努力工作也是为了**养家糊口**。(Mǎ Yún nǔlì gōngzuò yěshì wèile **yǎngjiāhúkǒu**.) - Jack Ma also works hard to make ends meet. * **Why it's wrong:** This sounds absurd in Chinese. Jack Ma's wealth is far beyond the level of "糊口" (just feeding mouths). The term implies subsistence, not massive fortune. * **Better:** 他努力工作是为了让家人过上更好的生活。(Tā nǔlì gōngzuò shì wèile ràng jiārén guò shàng gèng hǎo de shēnghuó.) - He works hard to let his family live a better life. ===== Related Terms and Concepts ===== * [[顶梁柱]] (dǐngliángzhù) - The main pillar/mainstay of a family. This is a complimentary term for the person who bears the responsibility of `养家糊口`. * [[赚钱]] (zhuànqián) - To earn money. This is the direct action, while `养家糊口` is the motivation behind it. * [[谋生]] (móushēng) - To make a living. A close synonym, but slightly more formal and can refer to supporting just oneself, whereas `养家糊口` always implies supporting a family. * [[打工]] (dǎgōng) - To work a job (for an employer). This is what many people do in order to `养家糊口`. * [[房贷]] (fángdài) - Mortgage. A primary component of the financial pressure behind `养家糊口` in modern China. * [[上班族]] (shàngbānzú) - Office worker/commuter class. The demographic that often feels the daily grind of working for `养家糊口`. * [[压力山大]] (yālì shān dà) - A popular modern slang term meaning "a mountain of pressure," which is often caused by the need to `养家糊口`. * [[过日子]] (guò rìzi) - To live one's life, to get by. This term shares the same feeling of daily routine and making ends meet.