悭 (qiān) - stingy, miserly & frugal, economical

悭Tone 1

qiān ｜ 10 strokes ｜ radical:

器情

悭 · qiān

stingy, miserly;

frugal, economical;

lacking, deficient

stingy, miserlyfrugal, economicallacking, deficient

Usage highlights

stingy and miserlyfrugal and economicaldeficient and lackingsimple and frugalstingy personmiserly nature

Synonyms

  • 吝— stingy, miserly
  • 啬— stingy, parsimonious
  • 俭— frugal, thrifty (positive connotation)

Antonyms

  • 慷— generous, liberal
  • 奢— extravagant, wasteful

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • He is known for being extremely stingy (吝啬悭吝).
  • We should practice frugality (节俭悭俭).
  • The project suffered from a lack of funds (资金悭乏).
  • She lives a very economical lifestyle (生活悭朴).

Collocations

  • stingy and miserly(悭吝)
  • frugal and economical(悭俭)
  • deficient and lacking(悭乏)
  • simple and frugal(悭朴)
  • stingy person(悭人)
  • miserly nature(悭性)

Idioms

  • Stingy as a ghost(悭鬼)
  • Extremely miserly(悭吝至极)
  • Stingy with money(钱财悭啬)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • In Chinese culture, being overly stingy is generally viewed as a negative character trait.
  • The character appears in Buddhist texts describing miserliness as one of the obstacles to generosity.
  • While frugality is praised, excessive stinginess is criticized in traditional moral teachings.

FAQ