daan1 sik6 piu4 jam2簞食瓢飲箪食瓢饮
Jyutpingdaan1 sik6 piu4 jam2
Yaledāan sihk pìuh yám
Definition
To live a simple and frugal life in poverty.
writtenpeopleother
How it's used
Originating from the Analects of Confucius, this idiom describes a life of extreme simplicity and frugality. While it can imply a noble character that remains uncorrupted by material lack, it is often used in modern contexts to emphasize genuine hardship and financial struggle.
Examples
He lives a life of extreme poverty, it is really miserable.
Even though he lives in poverty, he still insists on studying.
Related words
Common phrases
living a life of extreme poverty
Common mistake
Learners often mistake this for a general term for being poor, but it specifically evokes a sense of asceticism or a very basic, humble lifestyle rather than just having no money.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- In 30 secondsThe whole language at a glance. No tenses, no plurals, six tones, sentence particles. Read this before you dive into any specific topic.
- ParticlesSentence particles add tone, emotion, and nuance. Learn the most common particles in Cantonese and how to use them.
- Possession (嘅)How to say my, your, and his, and how to link a describing word to a noun, all with the little word 嘅 (ge3).
