spend a year; get through the year
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 3 examplesverb
to get through the year; to spend a year (often implying subsistence or hardship)
literaryLiterary expression typically used to describe surviving or subsisting through a year, especially in difficult circumstances. Frequently appears in the phrase 聊以卒岁.
Liáo聊
yǐ以
zú卒
suì岁
。
Just enough to get through the year.
Tián田
jiā家
zhōng终
suì岁
láo劳
lù碌
，
jǐn仅
zú足
yǐ以
zú卒
suì岁
ér而
yǐ已
。
Farming families toil all year round, barely enough to subsist through the year.
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Xiōng凶
nián年
jī饥
suì岁
，
mín民
nán难
yǐ以
zú卒
suì岁
。
In years of bad harvest and famine, the people find it hard to get through the year.