short of money; hard up; tight financially
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 4 examplesadjective
short of money; tight financially; hard up; broke
informalColloquial expression describing temporary financial difficulty, often used when declining to lend money or make purchases. Often temporary, such as at the end of a month before payday.
Wǒ我
zuì最
jìn近
shǒu手
tóu头
jǐn紧
，
méi没
fǎ法
jiè借
qián钱
gěi给
nǐ你
。
I'm short of money lately, so I can't lend you any.
Dào到
le了
yuè月
dǐ底
，
dà大
jiā家
dōu都
shǒu手
tóu头
jǐn紧
。
At the end of the month, everyone is tight on money.
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Tā他
xiàn现
zài在
shǒu手
tóu头
jǐn紧
，
lián连
fàn饭
dōu都
chī吃
bù不
qǐ起
。
He's hard up right now and can't even afford meals.
Bù不
shì是
wǒ我
bù不
jiè借
，
shí实
zài在
shǒu手
tóu头
jǐn紧
。
It's not that I won't lend you money—I'm just really strapped for cash.