Chinese word

节俭

Pronunciation

Pinyinjié jiǎn

Meaning

  • adjectivefrugal

Example

他很节俭，从来不吃零食。tā hěn jié jiǎn cóng lái bù chī líng shí

He is very frugal and never eats snacks.

Illustration for 节俭 (frugal)

More examples

他们一家过着节俭的生活，很少买不必要的东西。tā men yì jiā guò zhe jié jiǎn de shēng huó hén shǎo mǎi bú bì yào de dōng xī

Their whole family lives a frugal life and rarely buys unnecessary things.

Core concept

A habit of making money and goods last instead of using them carelessly or in excess.

Common phrases

  • 节俭的生活jié jiǎn de shēng huó

    a frugal life

  • 节俭的人jié jiǎn de rén

    a frugal person

  • 节俭的习惯jié jiǎn de xí guàn

    frugal habits

Similar words

节省jié shěng: Careful use of money or time keeps waste low and spending to what is needed.
节约jié yuē: A deliberate effort reduces spending or resource use and preserves what is available.
朴素pǔ sù: Plain and unadorned in lifestyle or dress, without excess decoration or luxury.
吝啬lìn sè: Unwilling to spend or share money or possessions, in an excessively mean way.

Definition in Chinese

习惯性地节省开支与物资，在吃穿用度上尽量避免浪费，重视合理利用资源。xí guàn xìng dì jié shěng kāi zhī yǔ wù zī zài chī chuān yòng dù shàng jǐn liàng bì miǎn làng fèi zhòng shì hé lǐ lì yòng zī yuán

Word origin

节 (jié, "restraint") originally refers to a joint or boundary, while 俭 (jiǎn, "frugal") describes modest use, so their combination points to restrained consumption.

Usage tips

  • In conversation, it often carries a calm, approving tone when describing how someone lives, which makes it useful for personal descriptions as well as practical choices.

Opposites

Word lists with this word