手头紧 (shǒu tóu jǐn) — to be short of money; to be hard up; to be stingy; to be tightfisted
Definition
A colloquial set phrase for being short of cash (手头 = on hand, 紧 = tight). It also covers a person's stingy nature, so context decides whether it means 'hard up' or 'tightfisted'.
verb
to be short of moneyto be hard upto be stingyto be tightfisted
Examples
- 手头紧，。Zuì jìn shǒu tóu jǐn, bù néng chū qù lǚ yóu le.I'm short of money lately, so I can't go traveling.
- ，。Tā zhè ge rén shǒu tóu jǐn, cóng lái bù kěn qǐng kè.He's a stingy person, never willing to treat anyone.
- 手头紧，。Děng wǒ bù shǒu tóu jǐn le, zài mǎi nà jiàn dà yī.I'll buy that coat when I'm not so short of money.
Appears in
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