积谷防饥
jī gǔ fáng jī
to save for a rainy day
Character by character
积jī
store
store
谷gǔ
grain
grain
防fáng
guard against
guard against
饥jī
famine
famine
Example
趁年轻多存一些钱，积谷防饥，老了才不会为钱发愁。
Save a bit more while you are young and put something by for hard times, and you won’t have money worries when you are old.
Tone: positive (praise).
Usage and origin
Usually in the old pair 养儿防老，积谷防饥: raise sons against old age, store grain against famine. Today it is said of savings and pensions; the first half sounds increasingly old-fashioned.
Learn this in Lesson 71 · HSK 6: 银发经济与延迟退休 (The silver economy and later retirement)
A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. The first lessons of every level are free.
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