Saving & budgeting in Chinese 存钱记账
cúnqián jìzhàng
Save money in Chinese is 存钱 (cún qián).
Also searched for as: save money, saving money, budget, budgeting, personal finance.
Where does all the money go every month? 15 essential saving & budgeting words in Mandarin Chinese, with pinyin and English. Open it in the app to hear each word, tick off the ones you know and turn them into flashcards.
Talking about money in Chinese starts with two verbs that are easy to mix up: 存钱 (cún qián), putting money aside, and 省钱 (shěng qián), spending less in the first place. Add 记账 (jì zhàng), keeping track of every purchase, and you have the basics of a budget. You'll also hear the playful 月光族 (yuè guāng zú), a pun on 'moonlight', for people whose pay is all gone by the end of each month.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 存钱 | cún qián | to save money |
| 记账 | jì zhàng | to keep track of spending |
| 预算 | yù suàn | budget |
| 月光族 | yuè guāng zú | someone who spends every penny they earn each month |
| 省钱 | shěng qián | to save money (by spending less) |
| 花钱 | huā qián | to spend money |
| 攒钱 | zǎn qián | to save up |
| 开销 | kāi xiāo | expenses; spending |
| 收入 | shōu rù | income |
| 支出 | zhī chū | outgoings; expenditure |
| 存款 | cún kuǎn | savings |
| 利息 | lì xī | interest |
| 理财 | lǐ cái | to manage money; personal finance |
| 精打细算 | jīng dǎ xì suàn | to budget carefully |
| 剁手 | duò shǒu | to (vow to) stop impulse buying online (lit. chop off one's hands) |
Usage tips
- 攒钱 (zǎn qián) means saving up bit by bit for a specific goal, as in 攒钱买房 (zǎn qián mǎi fáng), saving up for a flat, while 存钱 (cún qián) is the general word and also means depositing money in the bank.
- 剁手 (duò shǒu), 'chop off my hands', is jokey online slang for vowing to stop impulse buying, and compulsive online shoppers jokingly call themselves 剁手党 (duò shǒu dǎng).
- 理财 (lǐ cái) covers managing your money in general, but in banking apps 理财产品 (lǐ cái chǎn pǐn) are investment products, which carry risk, unlike an ordinary 存款 (cún kuǎn), savings deposit.
Common mistakes
- Using 省钱 (shěng qián) when you mean putting money aside: 省钱 is about spending less, while 存钱 (cún qián) or 攒钱 (zǎn qián) is about building up savings.
- Using the formal noun 花费 (huā fèi) in everyday chat; in conversation say 花钱 (huā qián) for spending or 开销 (kāi xiāo) for expenses.
Mini dialogue
- A又到月底了，我的钱又花完了。Yòu dào yuè dǐ le, wǒ de qián yòu huā wán le.It's the end of the month again and I've run out of money again.
- B你真是个月光族！你记账吗？Nǐ zhēn shì ge yuè guāng zú! Nǐ jì zhàng ma?You really do spend every penny! Do you keep track of your spending?
- A不记。我也不知道钱都花在哪儿了。Bù jì. Wǒ yě bù zhī dào qián dōu huā zài nǎr le.No. I've no idea where it all goes.
- B你试试用App记账，我这样一年攒了不少钱。Nǐ shì shi yòng App jì zhàng, wǒ zhè yàng yī nián zǎn le bù shǎo qián.Try tracking it with an app. That's how I saved up quite a bit in a year.
- A好，从下个月开始，我要精打细算！Hǎo, cóng xià ge yuè kāi shǐ, wǒ yào jīng dǎ xì suàn!Right, from next month I'm going to watch every penny!
Example sentences
- 我每个月都想存钱，但是太难了。I want to save money every month, but it's so hard.
- 我用手机App记账。I track my spending with an app on my phone.
- 这个月的预算又超了。I've gone over this month's budget again.
- 我以前是月光族，现在好多了。I used to blow my whole pay cheque every month; I'm much better now.
- 在家做饭比较省钱。Cooking at home saves money.
- 我这个月花钱太多了。I've spent too much this month.
- 我在攒钱买新电脑。I'm saving up for a new computer.
- 房租是我最大的开销。Rent is my biggest expense.
- 我的收入不太稳定。My income isn't very steady.
- 每个月的支出最好都记下来。It's best to write down all your outgoings each month.
- 我的存款不多。I don't have much in savings.
- 存款利息是怎么算的？How is the interest on savings worked out?
- 你会理财吗？Are you good at managing your money?
- 我妈过日子特别精打细算。My mum is really careful with every penny.
- 这个月我必须剁手了！I've got to stop buying stuff this month!
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The Saving & budgeting speaking island has 8 everyday questions about saving & budgeting to prepare your own answers to.