啬 (sè) - Stingy, miserly, thrifty & to economize or be frugal.

啬Tone 4

sè ｜ 11 strokes ｜ radical:

三姗

啬 · sè

Stingy, miserly, thrifty;

to economize or be frugal.

Stingy, miserly, thriftyto economize or be frugal.

Usage highlights

StingyStingy ghostFrugal and thriftyMiserly and greedyStingy personStingy with money

Synonyms

  • 吝— stingy, miserly
  • 悭— stingy, miserly
  • 抠— stingy, miserly (colloquial)

Antonyms

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • He is very stingy with money (吝啬).
  • We should be thrifty with resources (节俭).
  • The miser refused to spend anything (守财奴).

Collocations

  • Stingy(吝啬)
  • Stingy ghost(啬鬼)
  • Frugal and thrifty(俭啬)
  • Miserly and greedy(啬吝)
  • Stingy person(啬人)
  • Stingy with money(啬财)

Idioms

  • Stingy as a ghost(啬刻鬼)
  • Stingy and greedy(啬吝贪婪)
  • Frugal to the extreme(啬俭至极)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Traditionally viewed negatively in Chinese culture as representing excessive frugality bordering on greed.
  • In some contexts, can carry a positive connotation of thriftiness and careful resource management.
  • Often appears in compound words describing negative personality traits related to money.

FAQ