8 Chinese Idioms About Frugality & Saving Money

Gradual accumulation builds up

Literal meaning: Days pile months gather

This idiom weaves together daily (日) accumulation (积) with monthly (月) gathering (累) to describe gradual progress. It first appeared in Han Dynasty texts discussing scholarly cultivation, where learning was seen as a process of constant, minute additions - like grains of sand forming a mountain. The...

Small things build achievement

Literal meaning: Gather sand make tower

The concept of gathering (聚) sand (沙) to build (成) a tower (塔) emerged from Buddhist temple construction practices during the Northern Wei Dynasty. The image of accumulated individual grains forming a massive structure became a metaphor for collective effort and gradual progress. It gained particula...

Success after long preparation

Literal meaning: Thick accumulation thin launch

This idiom compares patient accumulation (积) of deep (厚) knowledge with the eventual release (发) that requires minimal (薄) effort. It emerged during the Tang Dynasty literary circles, where scholars emphasized sustained preparation over hasty creation. Historical accounts describe how poet Du Fu spe...

Entranced in dreamlike state

Literal meaning: Like drunk like dream

This ethereal idiom compares an experience to being both drunk (醉) and dreaming (梦), originating from Tang Dynasty poetry. It first appeared in Li Bai's verses describing transcendent states where boundaries between reality and illusion dissolve. The repeated structure of 'like' (如) emphasizes the d...

Quitting before completion

Literal meaning: Abandon halfway through journey

This unfinished idiom describes abandoning (废) a journey midway (半途), originating from Han Dynasty Confucian texts on perseverance. It first appeared in discussions about moral cultivation, emphasizing the importance of completing what one begins. During the Tang Dynasty, it gained prominence in edu...

Beyond hope of redemption or reform

Literal meaning: Cannot be saved by medicine

The great physician Zhang Zhongjing's 'Treatise on Cold Damage Disorders' introduced this concept of conditions that cannot (不可) be cured by medicine (救药). Tang Dynasty Buddhist writers expanded its meaning beyond physical ailments to describe moral corruption beyond redemption. When even the most s...

Calculate carefully; be frugal and precise

Literal meaning: Carefully calculate precisely

This idiom describes precisely (精) calculating (打) and carefully (细) accounting (算). It emphasizes careful resource management through detailed planning. The phrase appeared in texts praising frugal household management. It represents the virtue of economic prudence through attention to detail. Mode...

Waste talent on menial tasks

Literal meaning: Big talent small use

This idiom describes big (大) talent (材) being given small (小) use (用) - wasting capable people on trivial tasks. The phrase criticizes poor resource allocation that underutilizes valuable abilities. It appeared in texts discussing governance and personnel management. The idiom values matching abilit...