HSK 6 · Money

精打细算 jīngdǎxìsuàn “careful budgeting” in Chinese

Traditional 精打細算

What 精打细算 means

  1. careful budgeting
  2. to plan meticulously
  3. meticulous planning and careful accounting (idiom)

How to say 精打细算

  • Pitch chart of the first tone: stays high and level, 5 to 5 on the five-level scale精jīng1st tone, high and level
  • Pitch chart of the third tone: dips low then rises, 2 to 1 to 4 on the five-level scale打dǎ3rd tone, dipping
  • Pitch chart of the fourth tone: falls from high to low, 5 to 1 on the five-level scale细xì4th tone, falling
  • Pitch chart of the fourth tone: falls from high to low, 5 to 1 on the five-level scale算suàn4th tone, falling

精打细算 in a sentence

  1. 妈妈过日子很会精打细算。

    Māma guòrìzi hěn huì jīngdǎxìsuàn.

    Mum is very good at careful budgeting.

    Sentence by WillyChina

  2. 收入不高，只能精打细算。

    Shōurù bù gāo, zhǐnéng jīngdǎxìsuàn.

    With a low income, we have to budget carefully.

    Sentence by WillyChina

How 精打细算 is built

Each colour is one part of the character. Parts repeat across thousands of characters, so learning them makes new words easier. See all 214 in our radicals chart.

The character 精 (jīng) with each of its parts in a different colour
精jīngessence
  • 米rice · mǐMeaning part
  • 青blue-green · qīngSound part

米 hints at the meaning (rice); 青 (qīng) hints at the sound. Compare it with jīng.

The character 打 (dǎ) with each of its parts in a different colour
打dǎto hit; to strike
  • 扌hand form of 手 · shǒuMeaning part
  • 丁part of the characterSound part

Memory aidA hand 扌 striking a nail 丁: to hit. It is now used for many actions, such as 打电话 (dǎ diànhuà) “to phone”.

The character 细 (xì) with each of its parts in a different colour
细xìthin or slender
  • 纟silk form of 糸 · mìMeaning part
  • 田field · tiánSound part

纟 hints at the meaning (silk); 田 (tián) hints at the sound. Compare it with xì.

The character 算 (suàn) with each of its parts in a different colour
算suànto calculate; to figure out
  • ⺮bamboo form of 竹 · zhú
  • 具tool · jù

Memory aidBamboo ⺮ counting sticks held in two hands 具: to count, to calculate.

How to write 精打细算

精 14 strokes · 打 5 strokes · 细 8 strokes · 算 14 strokes

Watch the order, then press Try writing it and draw each stroke in the grid. Each stroke is checked as you go.

精打细算 (jīngdǎxìsuàn) stroke order chart: each stroke of the characters in the order you write them
Stroke order chart for 精打细算 (jīngdǎxìsuàn). Red marks the next stroke, so you can copy it onto paper one step at a time.

Words related to 精打细算

Words with 精

精彩jīngcǎi · wonderful精力jīnglì · energy精神jīngshén · spirit精简jīngjiǎn · to streamline精密jīngmì · precise精确jīngquè · accurate精心jīngxīn · meticulous精致jīngzhì · exquisite精通jīngtōng · to be proficient in酒精jiǔjīng · alcohol

Words with 打

打电话dǎ diànhuà · to make a phone call打dǎ · to hit打车dǎchē · to take a taxi (in town)打开dǎkāi · to open打篮球dǎlánqiú · to play basketball打扫dǎsǎo · to clean打算dǎsuàn · to plan打扮dǎban · to decorate打扰dǎrǎo · to disturb打印dǎyìn · to print (with a printer)

Words with 细

详细xiángxì · detailed仔细zǐxì · careful细节xìjié · details细菌xìjūn · bacteria细致xìzhì · careful细胞xìbāo · cell (biology)

Words with 算

打算dǎsuàn · to plan算suàn · to calculate计算jìsuàn · to count总算zǒngsuàn · at long last算数suànshù · to count (be valid)合算hésuàn · worthwhile结算jiésuàn · to settle accounts预算yùsuàn · budget运算yùnsuàn · mathematical operation

More words: Money & Economy

缴纳jiǎonà · to pay (taxes or fees)交易jiāoyì · transaction结算jiésuàn · to settle accounts基金jījīn · fund经费jīngfèi · funds金融jīnróng · finance集团jítuán · group开支kāizhī · expenses

FAQs

精打细算 (jīngdǎxìsuàn) means “careful budgeting” or “to plan meticulously”. It is an HSK 6 word.
Say it jīngdǎxìsuàn: jīng with a 1st tone, then dǎ with a 3rd tone, then xì with a 4th tone, then suàn with a 4th tone. Press Listen at the top of this page to hear it, or Slowly to hear each tone clearly.
In Traditional characters, used in Taiwan and Hong Kong, 精打细算 is written 精打細算. The pronunciation is the same.
Add a Chinese (Simplified) pinyin keyboard to your phone or computer, type jingdaxisuan with no tone marks or spaces, then choose 精打细算 from the suggestions. Typing jingdaxisuan into this dictionary’s search box finds it too.
精打细算 is an HSK 6 word in the HSK 2.0 word lists.

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Sources: meaning and pinyin checked by a native Mandarin teacher against the official HSK lists. Extra meanings from CC-CEDICT (CC BY-SA 4.0). Example sentences written by WillyChina. Character parts and stroke order from Make Me a Hanzi.