“穷”的10种英语表达方式

1、live in financial distress

Many Americans are living in financial distress, at least some of the time.

很多美国人时常面临财务问题的困扰。

distress 意思是 suffering and problems caused by not having enough money, food “困境、窘境、困苦”,相当于 hardship,常见的搭配有 economic/financial distress 经济拮据、财政困难。

2、live paycheck to paycheck

About 65% of working Americans say they frequently live paycheck to paycheck, according to a recent survey of 2,105 U.S. adults conducted by The Harris Poll, asking questions supplied by Barron’s.

哈里斯民调机构最近对2105名美国成年人进行了一项调查(调查问题由《巴伦周刊》提供),结果显示,大约65%的在职美国人表示,他们经常捉襟见肘。

paycheck 是“薪水”的意思,live paycheck to paycheck 就是每月挣的刚够花的,靠着一月又一月的工资度日,也就是我们汉语中常说的「月月光」。

3、run out of money

4、don't have money left

About 30% of households report that they run out of money at the end of every month, while 35% say they don’t have money left at the end of most months.

大约30%的家庭称,他们每个月都捉襟见肘,而35%的家庭表示,他们大部分月份捉襟见肘。

run out of money 和 don't have money left 这两个表达很简单,“用光了钱”“没剩下钱”。

5、live on the edge financially

live on the edge 是一个习语,意思是生活在极限边缘或极度紧张的状态,后面加一个副词financially,表示“处于经济困境的边缘、面临经济困境”。

uneven 是形容词,这里表示“不均衡的、不公平的”,如:an uneven distribution of resources 资源的不均衡分配。

6、struggle financially

7、be vulnerable to paycheck shocks

struggle financially 也可以表示“面临经济问题”。

paycheck shocks 指薪资冲击,即突然发生收入变动所带来的影响,比如突然降薪、失业等。

be vulnerable to 是外刊很喜欢用的短语,意思是 easy to be affected by sth bad 容易受到不好事物影响的,to是介词,后面加名词或动名词。

8、spend down their paychecks

9、be in financial straits

10、financially vulnerable

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